Easy Tips To Simplify An Estate Sale And Estate Moving

Moving from an estate to a much smaller home can be quite the challenge – and one of the biggest challenges involved in estate moving is the fact that there’s just so much stuff.

Even the best estate movers aren’t going to be able to move all of it into your new home – so you’ve got two choices. Either you rent a gigantic storage facility and store it all, or have an estate sale.

Estate sales are traditionally held when the proprietor of a large estate passes away and quick liquidation is needed – but simply undergoing estate moves is also a popular reason, whether because the owner of the estate is moving to an assisted living, or simply using local movers and changing their residence to be closer to family and friends.

Putting on an estate sale can also be a great way to get some extra liquid cash once you move, but it’s not easy to have an estate sale. So we’ve put together some tips about simplifying estate sales and estate moving to help you have a seamless, easy selling (and moving) experience.

Step 1 – Getting Started

Organize, Organize, Organize

The first step to a successful estate sale is organization. Each item to be sold must be removed from its original position and sorted, categorized by value and purpose, and placed into separate areas.

Take A Deeper Look

While some items are likely clearly broken, or damaged and can be discarded, others demand a closer look. Take a deeper look at each of the items you plan on selling, and assess their quality and condition while cleaning them. Consider repairing some items if they would sell for a better price in good condition.

Write It All Down

You should have a “master sheet” with everything to be sold at the estate sale, sorted by category, age, function, value, etc. This can be done on paper, or on a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel.

Price Your Items

This can be tough, but the internet has made it quite a bit easier to look up the prices of valuable items – even antiques. Consult websites, catalogs, or even antique shops to get an idea of an item’s price. And if you’re totally lost, hire a professional.

Step 2 – Advertising

Advertising an estate sale can be the difference between selling all your stuff on the day of the sale and being forced to liquidate it to 3rd party sellers. So it’s crucial that you advertise well.

• Start advertising early – You want as many people as possible to know about your sale. The earlier you start advertising, the more word can spread.
• Pick a good date – Weekends are great for estate sales – especially holiday weekends. People can come in from all over, and check out what you have to sell.
• Advertise at antique stores – these sorts of stores always have people looking for rare and valuable items, and are a perfect place to advertise. Talk to proprietors and patrons about your sale, and put up flyers in the window if you can.
• Run local ads – you can put ads in the newspaper, or on local radio stations, and you can also staple flyers and posters to telephone poles and walls, around the neighborhood.
• Use the internet – Craigslist is a fantastic place to post about estate sales, and there are even specialty websites like estatesales.net which help people find out about upcoming estate sales.

Step 3 – Running The Sale

This is the easy part – relatively speaking. Once you’ve done all your organizing, priced your stuff, and gotten the word out, it’s time to start selling.

• Start the sale early – the crowds may be slow at first, but starting earlier is always better, and can lead to less of a rush later on.
• Staff your estate well – this can be as simple as having some friends or family members on hand to help accept payments. You can hire professionals, if you have to. Having plenty of staff makes it easier to sell more items, and cuts down on theft.
• Set up a dedicated sales table – You’ll want a cash box, plenty of change and small bills, and a space large enough that shoppers can set down their purchases while paying.
• Be prepared for the long haul – your estate sale, properly advertised, will probably last all day. Have beverages and snacks on hand – not just for you, but also for shoppers.
• Have a plan for the stuff that doesn’t sell – whether you want to give it away or just liquidate it wholesale at an antique merchant, have a backup plan for the stuff that’s not coming with you.

Hire Professionals To Help You Move The Rest Of Your Stuff

After a big estate sale, the last thing you want to do is worry about moving your stuff yourself – even if you’re just moving locally.

So let the #1 provider of Fort Lauderdale local moving services help you. Orange Movers is a full-service local moving service, and our professionals can easily pack up the rest of your stuff in a snap, letting you focus on your estate sale.

Contact us now for more info. We’d be happy to help.