Estate Sales

Estate Sales can be a helpful way to find new homes for items that you don't plan to keep. An Estate Sale is different from a traditional yard sale because it involves items that aren't necessarily outdated or unwanted, and also because it involves people coming inside the house where the sale is happening.

It is important to make a plan for how you will manage the sale to ensure the home and the items inside it remain secure.

• Remove any items from the house that you do not want to sell, or move such items to a secure room/storage area where they will not be seen by visitors

• Determine prices for the items you plan to sell in advance
• For Antiques and other valuables, consider hiring an antique appraiser to help evaluate the true value of the item
  • ValueMyStuff will provide virtual appraisals
  • WorthPoint is a resource to find the value of more unique antique items, but requires you to create an account
  • eBay is another valuable resource to check on the market value of items. Key Tip: Filter items by SOLD Price for a more accurate idea of the market value
• Create price tags and labels for all items

• Hold the estate sale over the course of 2 days for best results
  • Estate Sales are most commonly held on Fridays and Saturdays
• Start Estate early in the morning (7-8am)
• Day 1 tends to attract the more serious buyers who frequent Estate Sales

• List details of Estate Sale on relevant websites
  • EstateSales.Net is a site with a strong following in the Estate Sale community
• Include pictures of items on the listing for best response
• Post Estate Sales signs at major intersections in local neighborhood
  • Sign should include address and start and end time of sale

• Provide a sign-in sheet at the front door for people who arrive early
  • On the first day of our estate sale we arrived to the house 30 minutes early and there were already people lined up waiting to enter
• Limit foot traffic to a single entry/exit point
• Have family members or friends in each room of the house where items are for sale to monitor visitors
  • Theft is unfortunately very common at these events so this is a critical step

• Have someone stationed at the exit point to serve as cashier
  • This will allow you to confirm the payment for sold items as people are leaving
  • Having a single exit point will reduce the potential for theft
• Be prepared with cash to provide change when items are sold