If you need to sell a household size amount of items, then in most cases, it absolutely makes sense to have an estate sale. I think many people underestimate the sheer amount of items that will need to go when they move. Whether you are moving to a 55+ community or assisted living or managing an estate as an executor, you do not want to DIY selling everything. Not only will you save a boatload of time by hiring a company, you should end up with more money in your pocket. A good liquidator (hi!) will sell ALL the things for you, and have an extensive network of potential buyers.
In addition to underestimating the number of items, it’s also common for clients to underestimate the value of what they have. That’s easy to do when you’ve been looking at the same stuff for 30+ years!
In terms of what a sale can make, that comes down to what types of items are in the house. If you’re doing a less major downsize, meaning you’re taking a lot of items with you, then you can expect to net less. Those sales are typically for garage contents, clearing out the accumulated items in the basement, plus rugs and decorative items. Those sales are generally under $5,000 unless there are particularly high end items. Our highest netting sales are full liquidations, where everything in the house needs to go. These sales often have antiques, hard-to-find vintage items, art or jewelry that drive up the sale value. A whole house liquidation is generally in the $8,000 and up range. And because I need to convey that this comes with a giant asterisk, allow me to again reiterate that it truly depends on what’s in the house. Our highest grossing sale exceeded $30,000. So there’s a wide range of potential value.
