Let It Go - Peter Walsh Page 0,75

says, sellers can offer a mix of big-ticket items and unique smaller collectibles to entice a diverse crowd.

Also, is your parents’ home an ideal setting for a sale? A neighborhood association may not want hundreds of cars parked in the street during the sale. A high-rise apartment building may also frown on the foot traffic heading to a sale. On the other hand, is the home located far out in the country? People might not be willing to make the drive.

Understand what an estate sale company does. “Do not let Aunt Bessie’s son’s neighbor do it because he dabbles in antiques,” Hall warns. A good estate sale professional must use a variety of skills in order to make your sale as successful as possible. Look for someone who can either accurately appraise your goods or call upon a network of contacts to provide this crucial service.

You’ll also want someone with a proven ability to advertise your sale to the right shoppers so it brings them in like a “giant magnet,” Hall says.

Do your homework on the estate professional. To find candidates who can run your estate sale, ask for references from people like your friends, your real estate agent, your lawyer, and your accountant. Interview at least three candidates before making your choice, Hall suggests.

Pay attention to these factors: Do they have a professional-looking Web site? Do they show up on time for the interview? Do they seem responsible and knowledgeable? Considering the reason why you’re holding this sale, you’ll probably want someone who also seems understanding and empathetic.

You can get a sense of their reputation by checking their references, the Better Business Bureau, and Angie’s List, Hall says. It’s also a good idea to visit a few of their sales and ask clients afterward about their experiences.

Be ready for the estate sale company to share in the profits. Expect for the company to charge 35 percent of what you bring in. You may also have to pay up-front consulting fees. When you’re interviewing candidates, keep in mind that a more experienced (and expensive) company may more than make up for their fee by pricing your items more accurately and bringing in more shoppers, she says.

Consider making the sale a nonfamily event. I understand the appeal of wanting to hang around during the estate sale. It can be nice to get a sense of the people who will be providing a new home for your parents’ possessions. Maybe you’d also like to tell them how much your parents enjoyed these items, but that can feel off-putting to estate sale buyers. The estate professional may not like having extra guests, either, Hall says. That’s because family members have a tendency to disrupt the carefully planned sales environment. She’s heard of a family member telling a shopper that “Aunt Sally died in that chair!”

During the sale, perhaps your family should go somewhere for a nice lunch or converge on a sibling’s house to watch old home movies.

Sell Your Stuff Online

There’s a lot to be said about turning to the Internet to unload your parents’ stuff. For starters, you can connect with three billion potential shoppers around the world. You also have access to popular sites that make it relatively easy to reach these people—like Amazon, Craigslist, and eBay—and many lesser-known sites to help you sell specific items like electronics and clothes.

Note that I said relatively easy. Selling your parents’ stuff online can still be challenging, especially if you’re in a hurry to finish downsizing their home. You’re competing with a lot of other sellers, so you’ll need to have interesting offerings, and you’ll need to cleverly market them at a good price. You also must know the ins and outs of how these sites work, and you’ll need to know how to interact safely with the spectrum of unique people you’ll encounter online, including scammers.

Each site has its own rules and customs. I’d recommend that you do some research online for the sites that best meet your needs (for example, how much will you have to pay the site? How convenient is it to use? Will you need to meet the buyer in person or will you have to mail the items?).

Wherever you choose to sell your parents’ household items, keep these general ideas in mind.

Find the right price. Look online for the typical price that other people are setting for similar items, and list yours comparably. Also, try to get a sense of how many of these things are available in