If you are getting ready to hire an estate liquidator and would like to consider us, the best way to decide is to make an appointment with us at the home where the sale will be held. We can tour the home; you can share the details of your situation and get your questions answered. We will explain how we work give you a sample contract so you will know what you can expect from us and what we will need from you.

Ideally, things that the family plans to keep will have been removed before we actually begin. Some family members may live in other cities, and this can sometimes be a long process but it is usually possible.

Once you are able to select dates for your sale, we create your contract. You will have already read the sample we gave you at our first meeting. You give us access with a key and agree not to be present during the process of Phase I and Phase II of your project. We have a three-phase business plan:

Phase I

We prepare your home for the sale, bringing in our tables (with covers) to display your smaller items. We stage your home for the sale, plan your space for security and safety, and concurrently keep appointments with our most important buyers. These people are successful antique dealers, art dealers, rug dealers, interior designers, and gallery owners. Additionally,some are hunting for jewelry, collections, unusual things and vintage items. These people pay us considerably more than the general public because they know the values. They are not shopping for bargains. They are looking for items. Our normal hours on site during this phase are 11am to 4pm, but we will only be present when we are preparing or have appointments.

At the end of Phase I, we price the most significant items and post price lists where appropriate, design your invitations, take photographs of the remaining items which will be posted with your ads, and perform the marketing for your public sale. Our best customers will receive an emailed invitation to attend. At that point, your sale goes dark for four or five days to give everyone a chance to find your ads and to get us to Saturday; your public sale.

Phase II - Your Public Sale

We will post directional signs if it is allowed by your city or municipality. There will be a sign-up sheet at your entrance.Some people will stand in line way before we open and there will be a great deal of activity throughout each day. About 75% of the time, we conduct sales on Saturday and Sunday with shorter hours on Sunday. Our team will consist of two people at checkout , one or two people that will manage and sell the garage and yard, and the Sales Team members with each covering two or three rooms. Depending upon the size of the property, we usually have a team of five to seven. Yes, we do conduct private estate sales with no public invited except by appointment or invitation. See frequently asked questions for more details.

Phase III - Your Clean-out

Without guidance, clients or realtors will sometimes schedule carpet cleaners or painters the day after the sale is over. Please allow three days before scheduling any such work. Everything is not going to sell. We still need to pack out and if you have requested our help in finding a cleanout company, they need to be contacted and then to see the what remains in order to provide a bid. (Some of the remaining is donatable; the rest is trash). The quickest way to perform the clean-out is to hire a professional, but it is also the most expensive. If you have a teen, a young adult family member or a retired uncle, they may want to make some extra money by packing up items for charitable contribution and making a trip to the dump. Many cities have a free service of weekly large item pick-ups with a three- day reservation. If you don’t have a deadline (like a closing escrow), this is the most economical way to manage the remaining items. Years ago, we would have an almost empty house at the end of the sale. Since then, 12 or 14 publicly held companies have begun manufacturing in China and importing to the U.S. They are able to produce a nine-piece dining set for under $500. Their market is the first- time retail buyer. Yes, the glue may be dried out in five years but neither Millennials or Generation X will care. They are spending their disposal income on education, travel, designing and marketing new inventions, building wealth. The generations who once haunted the second-hand stores to furnish their first home have retired. Consequently, a number of things, mostly furniture and furnishings, may remain at the end of your sale.