Holly Gorman, Lenore and Auntie Glads Estate Sales, and Various Sources May 2022
There is an old saying that the amount of stuff you have expands to fit the space available. My personal experience, and my business experience helping my clients get their house ready to sell, confirms this is very true. Over the years many of my clients who are moving, downsizing or cleaning out a relative’s house are amazed but the amount of items they have to sort through. Sometimes the items are useful and have resale value and sometimes they are not. How does someone decide what items are valuable or if there are enough items with value to warrant an estate sale? They should contact an estate sale company who can give you an opinion of value. But how do you find a good estate sale company? It is harder than you think.
The estate sale business is very easy to get into with no licensing requirements. To quote one of my friends it is like the Wild, Wild West. Holly Gorman has an estate sale company called Lenore and Auntie Glads Estate Sales. Her company is the only estate sale company in the state of Arizona accredited by the ASEL (American Society of Estate Liquidators). Holly serves on the board of the National Estate Sale Liquidator Professionals and fights every day for regulation. Holly said, “Estate sale companies are largely unregulated. Several Liquidators across the country have been prosecuted for walking away with clients’ funds. Unfortunately, a local Phoenix liquidator has already been arrested twice but still continues to operate. The board members I serve with take pride in operating ethically and properly. We are working towards requiring licenses and insurance by all estate sale companies. ”
Many estate sale companies are honest and work to maximize the sale proceeds. I know we always seem to focus on the negative but some of my client’s bad experiences include selling items cheaper than a thrift store on the first day, taking the client’s pool chlorine, breaking a ceiling fan and not telling the client, refusing to take a reasonable offer on old electronic equipment and then throwing it away when it did not sell, leaving the trash and recycle bins overflowing and mixing trash in with the recycle. I was not sure who was going to put out the trash and recycle cans to be emptied since the house was vacant. I sorted out the recycle bin and put both bins out for pickup. Since I lived on the other side of town I called one of my friends that lived nearby to put them back. Note I did not refer any of these companies.
Another issue is last-minute cancellations. Holly said “We have received and booked several sales from distraught clients who have been abandoned at the last minute by other estate sale companies for one reason or another. This reason is usually that they found a “better” client to reap more profits. We will never leave you in a bind during this emotional time.”
On the positive side, other estate sale companies my clients have used were great. They found value in many things the client thought had no value, helped clean out the close relative’s hoarder house (which was too emotional for the family), threw away the trash, and donated the useful items that did not sell.
Holly spends a great deal of time determining the value of the items. “Not everyone can be an expert on every type of item they may come across. Our research is extensive and many hours are spent obtaining correct and fair market values. This research is included with any sale and is part of our service to you. There are no “extra” or hidden” fees for research and valuation of your estate sale items.” Holly said.
Marketing is another important aspect of a good estate sale company. If the company does not have a website and an extensive marketing plan other than putting out signs along the street then look elsewhere. Holly spends a great deal of time marketing the items and has 3000 people on her mailing list. “We advertise your sale on multiple marketing platforms, including specific estate sale listing websites, (estatesales.org, .com and .net) AZ Central, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google +, Yellow Pages, professional street signage during the sale and of course our own personal website. We maintain over 3000 people on our personal email list alone and it is growing everyday. Our goal is to maximize your sale exposure to increase your return.”
Price is not always an indicator of quality. Most estate sale companies charge 40% to 60% of the sale proceeds or may do a flat fee for a small estate. Be careful if the company has a store. They may want to stock their store with your property either for free or a very low cost.
If you are in a situation where you think you want to have an estate sale call the estate sale company first before removing anything other than personal items like photos or mementos. The good estate sale companies are booked out for six to eight weeks. Obviously, Holly has a great estate sale company and I would recommend calling her first. But if she is booked and you need someone quickly check out The American Society of Estate Liquidators website.