This classic estate sale, completed in February 2020 by the EstateMAX team, is being used here as an illustration to educate potential clients as to the steps necessary to perform before, during and after an estate sale.
Although this is not an “average” home, this example shows how EstateMAX performs at our best. When the client is not physically on premises, has removed what they want to keep from the home, and allows us to handle the entire project, EstateMAX performs small miracles!
In this case, the EstateMAX professional services team turned this home around, from a brick shell, full of the stuff of 60 years of living, collecting, crafting and shopping, to an empty space, ready for the realtor to prepare for sale, in under 10 days, sending a wire transfer to the client- showing a profit to the family.
During that time EstateMax handled all of the initial clean up, sorting, setting up, advertising to over 100,000 regional customers, conducting a 3 day sale and cleaning up and removing to charity then trash within 4 days after the sale completion, paying our client a profit on the Friday following the sale completion.
Project Description: This is a a 2400 Square foot 3 bedroom mid century home outside of Washington DC. Loaded with the stuff of 60 years of family life. Practically nothing had been thrown out or donated ( for years and years,) prior to EstateMAX coming on the scene to organize and conduct an estate sale. We were hired by the family, two weeks before the sale. The family was “hands off” after taking out of the home anything they wanted to keep. Then they left it up to us to turn stuff into sense!
A quick, efficient- (20 labor hours) trash-out was performed by our team, to accommodate organizing and setting up the salable inventory in the home. Items were bagged and removed in a 20 cubic yard truck and taken to the landfill and/or recycling.
Setup and pricing took an additional 24 labor hours. All major items were priced independently. Examples were the audio equipment, tools, furniture, sewing machines, new dishes, good glassware, etc. Groups of small,less important items were positioned on tables and sold for general pricing. Examples are a turtle decor collection, Xmas mice collection, kitchen items, tupperware, linens, clothing, books, etc.
During the 3 day sale ( 24 hours-with 4 EstateMAX sales agents on the floor=96 hands on selling hours), the basement, which was used to house hundreds of ( among the memorable items) vintage games, Fisher Price vintage toys, untold artificial flowers in vases, a crafts corner with dozens of supplies, old furniture that had not been used in years, a Wurlitzer upright piano, testing equipment for audio, a freezer full of food, etc. JUNK and collectibles- was continually organized and unopened boxes opened and displayed for sale. The basement was full of dust to the point of toxicity. After the sale the trash company donned MASKS AND HAZMAT GEAR to perform their clean out. EstateMAX did our work with masks and gloves.
The first floor, sewing room housed stacks of never used fabrics, supplies, high end Viking Sewing machines, Singer machine, and sewing magazines and books. This room was organized by literally, crawling into it and sorting, starting with the items directly in front of me, moving forward a foot at a time for a day, during the initial trash out process. Again, a dust bowl. By the time the sale started the room was organized, sorted and shoppable.
Hundreds of Clothing items, filled most closets and drawers, initially re-organized, sorted and bagged, and were sold by the item, then the bag, then given away on day 3.
The attic, was opened up and investigated. Water came off the interior attic door so we chose not to include the contents in the already set up inventory. The water, potential mold and rodent evidence helped me make the decision not to bring the contents into the already organized sale space of the home. After the sale we unloaded the attic and packed what was there in bags for the landfill.
The sale yielded close to $15,000 in proceeds, all of it from small items. No furniture was sold. Why? It was out of style, well used, and not what estate sale shoppers are looking for. Vintage audio, high end sewing machines, fabrics, vintage toys, Christmas villages, tools, and 1000-plus small items is what sold from $1 to $2000!
Following the sale, we removed what was left of the inventory to charity and to trash and recycling in 1) full, 26′ moving truck to Goodwill, in 3) 30 cubic yard dumpsters and 2) 20 cubic yard trucks. This included the old, worn out carpet in the house, and rotten porch furniture, as approved by the client.
Our client had to do nothing with his family’s property, other than take out what they wanted to keep and hire us. The family made a profit on unwanted, forgotten STUFF, and didn’t have to lift a finger. The house is ready for the realtor to step in and handle to get ready for sale.
The EstateMAX strategy and service is comprehensive.
Before Sale Photos: Pre-sale, after initial removal of 20 cubic yards of real trash and unsalable goods, having conducted organization and setup as possible, in this loaded home.
After the Sale: The house, having been “ransacked” by approximately 450-plus estate sale shoppers, regardless of our diligent efforts to keep order, this is the final result of the inventory after 3 days. What is left, is donated or trashed. 60 man hours of labor were spent afterward sorting, loading and removing to charity, then to trash and recycling.
After the Clean Out: Photos of the rooms after final clean out. The house is left empty and broom swept, ready for the realtor’s preparations for sale.
