By Barbara Lehrer
Real Talk
Barbara Lehrer
Call it a tag sale, an “everything must go” sale or an antique preview to buy. It all amounts to one thing: selling everything on your property.
Such sales are a common chapter associated with moving. This process is usually something we wait to the end to do. Most people wait to the last minute when a sense of urgency makes it complicated and decisions on what to pack and what to leave behind are tough. Everyone loves their stuff, but they do not need it. How can they bear to part with it? Will someone else love it?
Here is what happens at the tag sale: prospective buyers take a quick walk through your sale and they are overwhelmed. Do they really need more glasses? Will these tables and lamps clean up well? Do they really want a second-hand couch? Unless you are literally giving the stuff away, it does not feel like a deal. Go to Savers and you will see plenty, from fur coats to dining room sets.
My advice is to spend time grouping together really special items. Make them shine and put them on Marketplace. I am not against auctioneers and estate sales, but if you take the time to present your items individually and nicely, then someone else can picture them in their own place. Price and presentation matter, just like in selling the home itself.
The expectations of the homeowner surrounding these sales seems to be that you will make a small fortune. Do not forget that after the sale the team you hire is going to get rid of everything else, and that will also cost you. Forty years of collectibles need a new place to go.
If you do contract with a company, make sure they include the “broom swept condition” clause, as the new owners will be expecting it. The contractors work very hard from arranging the sale to assisting purchasers to their cars. I have a lot of respect for their profession, and I know they take great care in removing attic, basement and garage items as well as each closet and bureau and cabinet. They often work closely with the seller, explaining the pricing. All in all it is a big job.
Once a deal is signed with a company for an estate sale, do not send your friends over to take what they want. Whatever was contracted to leave now is included in the percentage of profit made for both seller and auctioneer’s side.
I also suggest checking to see which appliances need to stay with the home. Make sure the estate sale does not sell anything that is in the sales contract. For instance, items like fireplace and pool equipment should be locked away to stay with the home before the sale.
You can see if the new owners want to meet with the auctioneer before they dispose of items that did not sell. The new owners may want them for free, and it will save the company time and effort. If you donate direct to Goodwill instead, you may pick up a tax write-off slip.
If you need more information on these issues, email Barbara.Lehrer@cbmoves.com.