Choosing the right estate sale company

I have written about this subject many times over the years.  I probably get at least three calls a week for people needing an estate sale.  My company does onsite estate sales.  Sometimes it is best to donate the estate to charity or to send it to an auction or perhaps have a company come in and take photos and conduct an online auction. There are several options to consider.  Many folks have lifetime collections and the children usually have their own households full of items or do not like the same things that their parents have collected.

I really like to see family heirlooms passed down to family members but sometimes folks just don’t have the room or are not sentimental about such things. The large generation of baby boomers are dying out sadly and nothing is as sure as death and taxes.  It is in your best interest to have a will in place as well as many other important end of life documents so that your family is not burdened.

There needs to be more people providing this service.  My friends and I have been doing them for many years and we are getting old ourselves now.  Please hire a reputable company when the time comes.  The company should have a business license, insurance and collect sales tax.  No one likes sales tax and we don’t either but it is the law. Many so-called estate liquidators are doing sales and taking cash only and providing no records to the clients.  It takes a few weeks to set up an estate sale properly so make sure to give your estate salesperson plenty of time to get ready.  Everything should be priced. Many people are put off by unpriced items and will not ask.

Some companies price their estate sales so high that they can buy the remaining estate at pennies on the dollar to put in their own online auctions or booths.  Some companies don’t advertise anywhere but facebook to try and avoid the state finding out that you are conducting business without a license and not collecting sales tax. People can of course do their own personal estate sales and not collect taxes but if you are a business, you should be collecting. Antique stores, Goodwill and other charity thrift stores must collect sales tax and so should the estate liquidators.

I hope everyone had a good time at the Peaches to Beaches this past weekend.  Our family really did and the weather was great until Sunday.  We didn’t buy a lot but we made it to the beach!  Happy Collecting!