FAQs

Estate Sale Questions

What is an Estate Sale? 

Estate Sales are usually held when someone passes away, is downsizing, moving to a different location, or when someone wants to sell a substantial portion of their personal property. 

How is an Estate Sale different than a garage sale?

An Estate Sale is a way to sell a person’s belongings from their estate. Garage sales are great if you want to sell some items and make a few hundred bucks over a weekend. Estate Sales are for when it becomes necessary to sell all (or almost all) of the contents of a home. Estate Sales are typically utilized when a loved one passes and you inherit a home, or if you need to downsize a home and need to sell a lot of big items quickly.

What are the benefits of using professional Estate Sale services?

Utilizing professional Estate Sale services offers significant advantages, including expert item valuation, efficient organization and setup, national marketing efforts, objective decision-making, secure transactions, and compliance with local regulations. You'll be able to save time, be hassle-free, and increase sale revenues by drawing increased shopper interests.

Client Questions

How do I start the process? 

It all starts with our free phone consultation where we explain the entire Estate Sale process, beginning with our scheduled, free on-site consultation all the way through the post-sales wrap-up. Give us a call at 310-849-0066.

What’s the lead time you need?

We’ll do our best to work within your schedule, we can host an estate sale on a week notice or months in advance. The more time we have to prepare, the better the outcome, but we understand there are things outside of your control and will do our best to work with you.

How long does it take to setup the Estate Sale?

In most cases, we only need 3-5 days with a multi-person staff to completely organize, stage and price all the contents of your home. We typically start staging on Mondays, complete the setup by Thursday, and run the sale on Friday and Saturday.

What assets can be included in an estate sale?

An Estate Sale can encompass a wide variety of assets, from personal items like electronics, cameras, artwork, tools, clothing, costume and fine jewelry, coins, and collectibles to larger possessions such as furniture, appliances, and vehicles. The specific inclusion of items often depends on the estate's size, the individual's accumulated belongings, and the wishes of the family or trustee of the estate.

What about contents family members want to keep?

This can be a very sensitive topic, so we ask you and/or your family members remove all items you wish to keep prior to us coming to assess the estate. This allows us to conduct a thorough assessment of what the sale can produce. If you are unable to remove the items, we will designate them “not for sale” and lock off those areas from the public if possible. 

Do you advertise my Estate Sale to shoppers?

Yes. We have our own customer email list. We also advertising the sale on estatesales.net, estatesales.org, Daily Breeze, and on our Instagram. Also on sales days, we strategically places street signage to drive local traffic to your sale.

How do you appraise and price items?

Everything is based on fair market value. We research for sold prices, auction results, etc. to determine current prices for each item. Because of our vast experience of managing estate sales throughout the South Bay area, we know what prices shoppers are willing to pay for everything from furniture to antiques, collectibles, clothing and knick-knacks.

How do you prevent theft from the sale?

All estate sales are professionally staffed with trained associates to ensure that we have eyes on your valuables throughout the entire sale. We also stage and organize the sale so that high-ticket items are harder to access and requires one of our staff to hand the item to a potential buyer.

What happens after the sale?

Our goal is to have an empty estate at the end of the event. If not, all remaining items are left in the home for the client. We can assist you with a final haul away or cleaning services for an additional cost. 

After the sale is completed, when do I get my check?

We will conduct a final meeting with you within 5-7 business to receive your final payment. You will also be provided with a list of items sold and an Expenses Summary Sheet.

Shopper Questions

How do I find out when and where your Estate Sales are?

We advertise our sales on our website, Instagram, estatesales.net, estatesales.org, and Daily Breeze. We also will send emails with upcoming sales information. Please subscribe to our emails.       

When do the sales take place?

Most estate sales run on Friday and Saturday from 10am-3pm. Some sales may start on Thursdays or extend to Sundays. Visit our upcoming estate sales page to see what we have scheduled. This page is updated regularly.

What forms of payments do you accept at the sale? 

Currently, we only accept cash. All sales are final. We can provide a receipt if requested. 

Do you allow pre-sell or early entry? 

No. To be fair, we do not allow early entry. We ask that shoppers line up at the cone on the sidewalk for everyone’s safety and to allow space for our staff to set up.

Will you move my furniture to my car / deliver the furniture I purchase at your sale? 

It is the buyer’s responsibility to bring the vehicle and manpower they need to remove their purchases from the sale. For safety reasons, we cannot do it for you.