Why Hire an Estate Sale Company

Be it divorce, a death in the family, a family member moving into an assisted living facility or any traumatic family situation, we all gather belongings over time and eventually need to pass them on to someone else.

So, what are your options;
1. Donate everything to a charity
2. Hand them out to family members to take (if they will take them)
3. Online Sales
4. Hire an Estate Sale Company

Let's go through these options.

Donate to Charity
You could simply donate every item to a charity (i.e., Goodwill) and use the receipt as a tax right off.  However, I would advise you to inventory every item because the IRS actually has set deducted prices per item.  Here is a good reference: IRS Donation Non-Cash Sheet  This sheet will give you a break down of the items you have donated and the value (per item) you can deduct from your taxes.  However, you still have to go through ever item, note the value and then load it on a truck and drive it to the donation center.

Handing Items to Family
When it comes to items that are extremely valuable, I would highly recommend handing them to family members rather then donating them to charity.  That way, the items can stay with-in a family until a family member decides to sell the items.  However, family members aren't typically inclined to receive items that aren't very valuable.  Items like; cleaning supplies, tape, white out, fridge magnets, etc.  These items still hold value though very little.  At that time, you still need to figure out what your going to do with those items.

Online Sales
This strategy is extremely beneficial, inexpensive but very time consuming. Basically, you need to separate each item, photograph it, post it (Craigslist.com, Ebay.com or any other online sales site) and write a detailed description, of each item, that will entice people to purchase.  Again, this is extremely time consuming!!!

Hire an Estate Sale Company    
Estate sale companies will come into your home, price every item out, organize the items, host a sale and advertise the sale.  Basically, they will remove the possible headache of you actually doing anything.  Obviously, they are in the business of making money but the majority of Estate Sale Companies don't charge an upfront fee.  They typically retain a percentage of the total amount sold.  That way, no money is coming directly out of your pocket.

Estate Sale Companies vary from company to company and the percentage the companies retain vary as well.  However, in my experience, the companies that use masking tape to price items are on the lower end of the percentage scale.  However, the companies that typically take the time to present your items in a professional and fashionable manner, are on the higher end of the percentage scale. Those companies have a decent following with positive advertising techniques.  Ultimately, you get what you pay for.  So, don't expect an Estate Sale Company to come in and do an amazing job while also retaining a small percentage of the revenue.

Obviously, no one wants to lose money or pay to much for a service.  Hiring an Estate Sale Company can be one of the most beneficial thing to do with out wasting your precious time and relying on the customers they have already generated  through previous sales and advertising.

Note: I recently joined an Estate Sale Company called Aether Estate Sales.  I can't help but notice the growth potential in the company and the way we can assist clients in their time of need.  In my future blogs, I will be providing advise in every aspect of the Estate Sale and the mistakes and successes we have had.  Obviously,  I will be advising people to chose Aether Estate Sale Company but also provide information to clients and customers to make the best informed decisions possible when it comes to attending or hosting an Estate Sale.

Please follow my blog and comments as I move further into the rapidly growing industry of Estate Sales.