Estate sale items in a home
Some belongings don’t have much (if any) monetary value, but are still important to family members. Give people 48 hours to pluck special items from a home to avoid confusion and hurt feelings down the road.
Sort Personal Belongings Before the Sale
An estate sale is a great way to unload the burden of sorting through and getting rid of (or downsizing) a loved one’s personal effects after a move, family loss or other major life change.
However, even with the best of intentions and a solid support system in place, it can still be easy for emotions to get the better of you and cloud your judgment.
To avoid getting overwhelmed, try breaking the decluttering/sorting process down into bite-size chunks. Here’s one method you can use to get the ball rolling:
Make an initial trip through the house with loved ones to:
- Identify and set aside any personal effects, irreplaceable/sentimental items, medications, legal/personal documents, photographs, etc. that should NOT be made available for sale
- Determine if any items might be valuable enough to warrant further research/appraisal
- Sort items slated to be sold by type or room
- Decide which items can be donated, recycled and/or tossed
Once you’ve narrowed things down, it’s time to start figuring out which items to keep and which to sell/donate/discard. To make the process go a little more smoothly (and reduce the chances of family drama erupting), consider setting a specific time frame (i.e. 48 hours, etc.) for loved ones to go through the home and pluck any mementos, keepsakes and/or other items of sentimental value that they would like to take home before anything hits the estate sale floor.
Decide What Belongs on the Sale Floor
Pretty much anything and everything, including (but not limited to):
- Household items
- Kitchen items
- Décor/accessories
- Linens
- Books
- Collectibles
- Artwork
- Tools
- Jewelry
- Coins
- Hobbies
- Garage items
- Seasonal items
Keep in mind that while antiques and designer/luxury items may grab headlines, the majority of items sold at estate sales are common household items.
Also, an item’s age does not necessarily dictate its worth. A brand new piece missing a few key components may not be very desirable, while a well-worn wooden table might just be the vintage find someone has been searching for.
Price Items by Condition and Demand
Household items prepared for an estate sale
This is probably the most difficult question to answer. An item’s value can be determined by a wide variety of factors, including its:
- Age
- Style
- Condition
- Completeness
- Sentimental value
- Current demand
Keep in mind that while the going rate for an item when it was originally purchased may give you an idea of what it’s worth today, this isn’t always the case. To help ensure you’re pricing things accurately, do as much research as you can to familiarize yourself with the going rate for similar items in your area.
When in doubt, consider consulting a professional for an appraisal, particularly if there are any signed pieces of art, unique/special collections, designer jewelry, etc. in the home you think may be worth something special – the local service listing is at www.caringtransitions.com/estate-sale-services/washington-dc for reference.
Remove Private and Restricted Belongings
For security purposes, it’s important to remove all financial documents, personal information/papers, prescription medications – if you want the source, it’s https://www.cdc.gov/medication-safety/about/index.html, etc. from the premises prior to hosting an estate sale. Additionally, it’s best to keep any items with unknown ownership off limits.
Prepare the Home, Shoppers, and Leftovers
- Be honest with buyers – When pricing items, resist the temptation to focus solely on an item’s sentimental value to you. Remember, you’re trying to sell things at fair market value, which can often be very different than what you emotionally assign to a certain item. Similarly, don’t gloss over blemishes/flaws/damage – buyers appreciate (and return less!) shopped at honest sales.
- Take extra precautions with valuables – You may want to consider displaying extremely valuable/fragile items in a separate area (supervised by a family member or sale host, if necessary) to ensure they remain safe during the sale.
- Plan for after – Odds are pretty good you won’t sell everything you put up for auction. That’s ok! To avoid being caught off guard, decide ahead of time if you want to donate the leftovers, pass them along to family/friends, schedule them for recycling or hire a junk removal service to help you out.
- Prepare for anything – In addition to making sure all walkways/entryways are clear of tripping hazards (including stacked boxes and wobbly furniture), think about any and all logistics before your sale begins, such as:
- What areas will be available for sale?
- How will large item be removed from the home?
- Where will shoppers park/checkout/pack up their items?
- Where will unsold/personal items be stored?
- Who will be on site to field questions and/or help make changes (i.e. a family member changes their mind about an item being sold)?
Start by Securing Personal Items
While there’s a lot that goes into planning a successful estate sale, proper preparation is the key to making the process as smooth and profitable as possible. To get a jump on things, start by going through each room collecting any medications, personal information and mementos you’ll want to save.
