Country Estate Auctions
& Estate Liquidators
What To Ask? What To Consider? What To Do?
Things to consider when choosing an estate sale company:
What should family do in advance to prep for a sale?
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Determine and secure any items you do NOT wish to sell. It is important that you communicate with us and make it clear about any items that are not for sale. There may be things both inside and outside that may need to stay with the house and these should be marked "not for sale." Items that can be moved can be stored at the home in a spare room or in a garage under tarps. Large furniture items can be left in place during the sale but should be clearly marked "not for sale." This is very important as our staff can't always know if you wanted or meant to keep item(s).
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Personal items should be secured and/or boxed up by the family BEFORE we come to work, stage and price. This includes: family pictures, jewelry, personal documents, tax information, bank checks, banking info, medical documents, medications, medical equipment, eyeglasses, hearing aids, any documents that have important personal information and any other personal items that you want to keep. These items should be secured by family members and before estate sale staff begin work. We will also secure any personal items we find.
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Provide any pertinent information about item(s) that would be helpful in determining value. It is helpful for family to provide information on rare or unusual items and one-of-a-kind pieces. There are some pieces of art where the name is impossible to read or may be missing. If you know the artist or have insight about the artwork it is helpful and will help save time in our research.
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Don't throw away items that are not truly "trash." You will be surprised at what you think is trash, or not worth selling, but can actually be valuable. Some examples include: anything military, most clothing items, retro clothing, and retro T-shirts. These items can be highly desirable but have been known to be taken for donation because people are not aware of their value. Vintage items that are not in perfect condition can still have great value. Old collectible books and some magazines can also be valuable. You just never know. Remember one person's trash is another person's treasure.
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Do you have restrictions in your neighborhood or are there permit requirements? Please either contact your Home Owners Association, if applicable, or provide us with their contact information to determine the requirements for having estate sales. If you know of any permit requirements, please let us know.
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Let us know immediately of any changes that may impact the sale, the date of the sale, or items listed for sale.
What's our process for conducting the sale?
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Initial Meeting: We will come and meet with you and discuss your needs and the various options we offer at no cost to you. We will provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision. Once you have hired us, we work with you to determine the date for the sale and when our staff will begin getting the home ready.
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Advertising Begins: We post the sale and initial pictures on various sites (with only zip code info and not the physical address) to let people know the sale is coming.
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Home preparation and pricing: Our staff will come in and prep, stage, research and price items for estate sale. More photos may be taken at this time and posted to sites.
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Estate Sale Begins: Professional directional signs are placed throughout the neighborhood early the days of the sale. Our staff finalizes any last minute details prior to opening. We accept cash and credit/debit payments and record of sales are maintained and will be given to the family at the end of the sale. We are mindful of safety concerns and precautions are taken for homeowner and estate sale customers.
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Online Auction (If applicable): We take pictures of items for the online auction. The online auction runs for several days or week(s) based on predetermined timeframes that work with family and our schedules. We advertise the online auction via various sites and emails. Once the online auction has ended, invoices are sent out to winning bidders. A staff member will return to the property for a day to meet with the winning bidders for them to pay and pick up their items. We accept cash and credit/debit payments and records are maintained and will be given to the family.
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Final stage of an estate sale or auction: Once the sale and/or online auction is completed, all final arrangements are completed, paperwork is finalized, and payment is made.
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Country Estate Auction and Estate Liquidators appreciates the opportunity to work with you and we are happy to answer any additional questions. Please call us.