There is a huge market for “downsizers” in the United States. Downsizers are people that, for one reason or another, want to shed some material possessions. Perhaps you want to move into a smaller space and all your antiques won’t fit into the new apartment. Thousands of baby boomers in America turn 65 each day, which increases the pool of downsizers each week. Other downsizers are going through divorce or settling debt.
It’s important to know that the downsizer market is growing. This directly influences your downsizing estate sale, and makes an estate sale expert vital in your effort to downsize effectively.This leads us to our list of little known facts about estate sales:
1. Your materials and possessions are not always worth what you think they are. There are antique shows that run on television. These shows convince people that their stuff is worth a small fortune, which, on an item by item basis, is probably not the case. Some items are worth far less than you think they are, such as Hummel figurines. The market is now saturated with the porcelain statues, driving their value down. In other cases, an item might be worth a small fortune. The last thing you want to do is sell a seemingly mundane item that is worth a lot of money to somebody who knows it is worth a lot of money.
2. An estate sale expert knows the value of countless items, but sometimes they can be in over their heads. In this case, they bring in outside help. If there is something truly remarkable, a hired professional will be brought in to appraise the item. Once the item’s value is set, you can get maximum profit for your sale.
3. You may have collected more items than you think. Many estate sale experts encounter people who really push the envelope when it comes to accumulating tangible possessions. An estate sale expert can get an early start on sifting through your items and appraising them. You might want to get an early start and hire an expert as soon as possible because cataloging your collection of items can be very time consuming.
4. Many estate sale service providers charge a steep percentage plus a daily rate and other charges for secondary services. This can add up quickly, taking a huge chunk out of your overall take. It is a good idea to sit down with your service provider so that you clearly understand the charges involved. At Heritage Estate Sales, we only take a percentage of all transactions.
5. A house is full of memories, and sometimes secrets. Estate sales can be quite thorough, searching every nook and cranny of the house. It is a good idea to hire the most discreet estate sale company that will treat your estate sale with the utmost discretion.
6. Estate sales come with a little bit of liability. If someone injures themselves at your estate sale, then you could be on the hook for litigation. But an estate sale company that carries insurance, like us here at Heritage Estate Sales, protects you against that liability.
7. Sometimes estate sale representatives will buy items that they themselves have priced and put up for sale. This represents a classic conflict of interest where the seller is motivated to tag a lower price on the item so they can buy it. At Heritage Estate Sales, we do not partake in this practice and get you the maximum return on your items.
Contact Heritage Estate Sales when you are looking to downsize. We will adhere to a strict code of conduct, apply transparent pricing and work hard to get you the money you deserve.