Decluttering and Downsizing: Estate Sale Services

Sorting and Cleaning

The estate sale professional begins the process by assessing the assets. After acquiring an inventory of the estate, and an estimate of profits, the planner consults with the owner to determine if the potential sale will be valuable enough to move forward. If the owner approves, a contract will be made between both parties and the process moves forward.

Staging and Pricing

The sales professional weeds out the unsaleable or marginal items and either disposes of them or donates them to charity. The items of value are tagged, priced, and staged. The price tags are large and easily visible. Prices are usually set for quick sale but are often flexible for bargaining. After pricing, items are staged in a way that allows optimum accessibility and within easy reach.

Marketing and Selling

The sales professional will advertise the sale for several days beforehand. Most will use multiple media such as Craigslist, newspaper ads, and websites dedicated to listing sales by area.

The sale is usually held over the course of a few days. Factoring in buyer interest and inventory size, sales are generally between one and four days. The house is opened on the days of the sale, while the sales professional and their assistants are present to assist buyers and process all transactions.

Clean Up and Payment

After the sale is closed, any leftover items is again inventoried, and the owner decides what to keep, dispose of, or donate to charity. The sales professional or a hired cleaning service will clean the home and prepare the home for the open market. The percentage agreed upon in the initial contract will be deducted from the profits to pay for the sales professional. The rest is given to the owner.

By hiring a professional, you will be able to maximize your profits while minimizing your involvement. When dealing with a death, divorce, or downsizing their services can be priceless.

Staging

Realtors are experts in understanding what home buyers are looking for when browsing for a new home. There is a well-honed craft for reorganizing your home in order to sell it, called staging. There are plenty of tips out there for staging a home, but using a realtor can save you the time and stress of trying to do it yourself. Heartwarming Homes offers a free staging consultation from a professional as part of our standard services.