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The estate sale company is the a great service. I negotiated with ours to do the sale at the house, then they were responsible for sorting through what was left - separating and boxing up the trash from the things that could be donated. Because there was furniture remaining Goodwill came and picked up all the donations - we received the tax receipt for those items. The estate company dealt with the trash. Typically our company split 60/40 (us 60) we agreed to 50/50 so we didn't have to deal with anything after the fact.
But remember you must go through things first and remove any sensitive papers and information, pictures, etc. Also don't bother going through bathrooms as you'll be shocked that opened shampoo, mouthwash, and pantry items sell. It's crazy. Use your time to go through the important sensitive stuff.
Also, I found that because mom had dementia she had hidden money and jewelry in random places so I did have to at least open and look in every drawer, nook and cranny. Dad netted about $2000-3000 for the excess that didn't go to AL with them. All worth it since I didn't have to pay anyone to haul off the trash.
This post is a good reminder to all of us, to not leave our LO’s in this situation. I started on a program of ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’ a few years ago. So much very useful stuff was donated, or labeled for a family member that has expressed an interest, and the rest boxed for that big garage sale I haven’t had yet. (it’s a good thing I buy classics.). We have fun reading my recipe file box holding each child’s or grandchild’s ‘wishlist’ when they visit. But I still have a long way to go. I started attempting to live with a capsule wardrobe, and did quite well for a couple years. Ya’ll have inspired me to renew my efforts. Do it for the kids!
In Connecticut and in North Carolina there are companies that will do a multi-day living estate sale at the home (I'm not sure if they'd go to the storage units or have you truck the stuff to the house). They are motivated to sell for the best prices because they keep half the sales profits. Not sure if every state has companies that will do this. They usually have good connections with buyers and they do the advertising, haggling and $ collection. We did this for things my Mom didn't want to take to her AL apartment and our family didn't want. She didn't have really expensive things, and she still took in 2K and the company got same. As her kids, we just oversaw it. People bought furniture, small appliances, tools, clothes and even some guy bought the curtains in every room.
The things I thought I could sell, I listed on Craigs list...her old sofa and chairs, her large dining table, etc. My mom did not have anything of value. I also donated a lot of stuff to GoodWill and everything else was thrown out. If there was anything decent like her brass bed, her TV, a nice wall mirror and of course her clothes, I moved it into her assisted living apartment. I took the proceeds from the sale of her old couch and dining table to buy her an apartment sized sofa and chair for her new apartment. When she worsened and had to move to memory care, I sold the apartment sized furniture and all she had room for in memory care was her bed and a chair. Then she ran out of money and had to apply for Medicaid. The next move into a Medicaid accepting memory care would not let her bring her bed, so I moved her brass bed to my house. If they live with dementia for decades, multiple moves and downsizing are inevitable. I managed all of that by myself because my brother didn't want to help. It just about killed me. I suggest hiring an auction company once you have looked through everything to make sure there aren't important papers, pictures or money left behind.
My parents had random money stuffed here and there, in old bank statements (they kept every statement from 2 accounts as well as all tax returns from 1958 through 2019) 20's stuck in every 20 or 30 envelopes. Found $500 in underwear drawer, and a 50 sticking out of the baseboard of a bedroom closet. Worth wading through the junk.
Three storage units?? No wonder you don't have any energy, it's so overwhelming! While my brothers were going to have a garage sale, after 3 months I couldn't wait any longer. I picked through everything and brought many loads to a thrift store. The rest was hauled by my friend to the garbage dump. There was permits needed to park a dumpster on her street and I didn't want the driveway getting damaged. I agree with the others to go through these units and talk to the manager about abandoning them. The cost of the dumpsters is ridiculously high. It was way too much work for me and I didn't get any help from my brothers other than what they chose to take. It would take forever to go through what you have. Wish you the best!
I went through that twice; both parents were hoarders, both rooms in ALF packed to the gills, just saved everything. First my mom in 2018, donated her clothes, etc to charity, but there were boxes and boxes of paperwork in her closets. I moved all the boxes to my home to go through when I had time. She had saved every bank statement, every bill and more since 2001... in their original envelopes! I didn't dare throw out in bulk w/o going through everything in case I missed something important. I found 2 life insurance policies I never knew about and was able to collect on hers and later the one for my father. I also found an envelope containing $300. It was worth the effort. Then in 2020, when my father passed on a Saturday evening, my DH and I were there on Sunday to empty his room in a hurry. We had learned with my mom, the ALF kept charging $150 per day after death until the room is cleaned out. Had to wear masks the whole day as they were on Covid lockdown. He had SO much worthless junk and had trashed his room as well. We filled up their dumpster to overflowing and anything small, paper, photos went in boxes to sort at home. I didn't know what we might find. He had wanted his beloved Rotary International President's ring and watch to go to my brothers, and they didn't even want them, so my DH sold them at a pawn shop and got about $100. Everything else was old, broken or worthless trash, not even donatable. Best thing was the insurance policies, as they went right towards our inheritance.
Check to see if your community has any charity that does estate sales; we support our local animal shelter that does estate sales. They come in, stage/arrange everything, price everything, staff the sale, then put anything that doesn't sell into their thrift store. They also clean out the location entirely, which not all estate sale companies do; it's a blessing because when you need to have a space empty after all the sales it's a 'clean slate.' You would be surprised what people may find of value to buy; One man's 'junk' is often truly another's 'treasure.' Folks like to find things they can use or repurpose in some way you might not imagine yourself. By using the animal shelter estate sale service we got our 60%, the shelter got 40% of the money, then the shelter got still sellable goods to further raise funds. It was our 'good deed' and took the burden of doing a big sale ourselves off of us; even the ad photographs were professionally done for the sale, increasing public interest and ensuring good turnout. And DO go through the stored items; I've heard of money being taped onto the bottoms of dresser drawers, in shoes, inside the backs of artwork. Watch the Storage Wars show to see how often treasures are found in the most unlikely storage units.
I imagine you can sell at any price but do you want to literally give away your gold ? maybe sort before hand into throw- charity- expensive items to sell maybe a friend can help you or if costs allow storage/park fur you to re catch your breathe and strength ? do you have anyone who can store good items for a set period ? any family relatives that you want to give anything to good luck its not an easy task - end of day it’s your personal decision - maybe check with any family members if they want anything - keepsake - or just be able to appreciate it?
When my hubby died and I needed to move closer to family, I interviewed 2 Estate Sales folks. The first one said my Hubby's tools wouldn't sell. The second one had a retired machinist on board. We went with them, because there were a lot of expensive tools They advertised the tools, and there were 40 men waiting in line when the sale started,. There were not many household things to sell. They collected $22,000. and I got $17,000. They left the house clean, they even swept and mopped the floor. This was 2 years ago.
On the other hand, my Son-in-Law's parents were hoarders, and no one wanted to touch the place, One of their storage units, they had 2, had nothing but empty boxes in it. Some rooms were so full of trash you couldn't walk into them. However, as they were cleaning the rooms out, they found many things of value. This week they are finally getting all the stuff out of the house so they can sell it. There were diamond rings, and a lot of brand new unboxed stuff they got from places like QVC that they never unboxed,
The bank told me about one place where people hide money is in prescription medicine bottles, they roll up money and stick it in the empty container.
I recommend you go with what you see, Every situation is different.
The tools are always wanted at estate sales. The first guy didn't know what he was talking about. We even had people buy my Dad's coffee cans of mixed bolts, nuts, & screws.
I agree with others about going through everything looking for cash and other valuables. My grandmother hid her mom's wedding ring in a wall decoration and cash in her recipe box. Estate sale companies that we contacted when we cleaned out my mom's house were looking to sell estates with high value items like coins, jewelry and guns, so that did not work out for us. We did find an online auction company called Maxsold . com which I highly recommend! At the end of the two weeks that we worked with them, everything was gone except for a desk, a wall unit and a book case. Those were easy to donate after. It was amazing how much stuff vanished during our auction and my mom received a check in the end for what was sold.
InCalifornia, do you remember what % Maxsold charged to do the sale? We need to empty my Mom's house to sell and while she wasn't a hoarder, it's still alot of stuff and not high value type items but good furniture, lots of nice housewares....
A company that does "Estate Sales" will handle everything. The do charge a hefty portion though for the work that goes into organizing, advertising and running the sale. I strongly suggest that someone, a family member go through each unit looking for things that were put away for "safe keeping" Money, old family documents, and the occasional real treasure. If you take each unit 1 by 1 the task is not so daunting.
Honestly if you do not care about any of the "stuff" and want nothing to do with it most storage unit places do auction off "abandoned" units. You would get nothing but you would not be paying on them any longer either. This is not something that I would suggest just because you do not know what might be hidden away.
But to answer the basic question.. "can you sell at any price". If this is an Estate and the owners are dead and all debts have been paid that need to be paid off then you can sell at any price.
Unless you have good reason to believe there is cash stashed away or hidden treasures that would sell for a lot of money(that the estate needs), I would press the easy button. As the TV commercial says, having that burden lifted is priceless.
Not long ago I read a story in the news about a person who purchased an ottoman at an estate sale for the family's elder who went into a facility. When she got it home she discovered $40,000 stuffed inside it. She did the right thing and returned it to the sellers who said they were in need of the money to help pay for his care. Just saying I agree that if at all possible you should consider going through it at your own pace.
When my inlaws went into facilities and lost their home to foreclosure I went through all their stuff. My SFIL had some nice and interesting vintage items and some antiques. After having it on craigslist for a while (there was no FB Marketplace or Nextdoor.com back then) and getting worn down from selling things one by one, I decided to sell it in bulk. I took pictures of some of the most interesting items and then a picture of the mountain of all of it in my garage and said Best Offer for everything. It sold right away and I didn't have to price anything or fix or clean anything.
You can have the storage units auctioned off. But I'd hire an estate sale company if it were me, and let THEM do all the sorting and pricing. There is no way estate sale companies only sell Monets or valuables of great amounts!! Trust me on that. They may take as much as 50% of the profits, but so what? Whatever is leftover is bought out by a clean-out company and hauled off. You have to do nothing but collect the check.
Go to Estatesales.net and find a local company with good reviews in Philly, and call them for guidance.
No energy for that? I can only say that elders hide money. You need to know and understand what you may stand to lose. I hear that all the time, hung by wire in back of a bookcase, even, so I don't know that I would worry re doing this so fast, but I would do it myself. I would have a 1-800-junk truck or whatever deliver a big refuse container, and I would separate out donations from throw and go through it. That's me. But if you are the one who is executor and are handling the estate you can gather and eliminate and put the funds from that in an account however you choose best to do it.
With some help, you could also try running your own estate sale. Allow people to come into the house, and have them make offers on everything. Don't bother pricing anything. Don't refuse any offer, and you can always donate/trash whatever is left over.
Judas Priest - they paid rent on 3 storage units to keep this crap, and in the end it will all probably end up in a landfill. What the hell is the matter with these people?
I’ve long heard when people from other countries, mainly Asian and European, visit the states, they marvel at the endless storage facilities. Many cannot fathom America’s propensity for hanging onto so much stuff, or perhaps ever even have so much stuff
bigsispjt, I remember back when I was empting out my parents' house. I called several estate sale companies. My parents had really nice things but unless it was a Monet painting or furniture from Buckingham Palace, the estate companies weren't interested.
So I called the Salvation Army which came to get the furniture. The glassware, paintings, misc items in prestine condition when to a hospital rummage sale. Items in great to very good condition Goodwill took. And you would be surprised how many items I placed at curb side with a note saying FREE were picked up. Now a days, one can post photos of items For Sale/Free on NextDoor.com. Best to sell for cash compared to using Zelle or any of those on-line payment apps, heard too many issues of scams.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
But remember you must go through things first and remove any sensitive papers and information, pictures, etc. Also don't bother going through bathrooms as you'll be shocked that opened shampoo, mouthwash, and pantry items sell. It's crazy. Use your time to go through the important sensitive stuff.
Also, I found that because mom had dementia she had hidden money and jewelry in random places so I did have to at least open and look in every drawer, nook and cranny. Dad netted about $2000-3000 for the excess that didn't go to AL with them. All worth it since I didn't have to pay anyone to haul off the trash.
It would take forever to go through what you have. Wish you the best!
Then in 2020, when my father passed on a Saturday evening, my DH and I were there on Sunday to empty his room in a hurry. We had learned with my mom, the ALF kept charging $150 per day after death until the room is cleaned out. Had to wear masks the whole day as they were on Covid lockdown. He had SO much worthless junk and had trashed his room as well. We filled up their dumpster to overflowing and anything small, paper, photos went in boxes to sort at home. I didn't know what we might find. He had wanted his beloved Rotary International President's ring and watch to go to my brothers, and they didn't even want them, so my DH sold them at a pawn shop and got about $100. Everything else was old, broken or worthless trash, not even donatable. Best thing was the insurance policies, as they went right towards our inheritance.
maybe sort before hand into
throw- charity- expensive items to sell
maybe a friend can help you
or if costs allow storage/park fur you to re catch your breathe and strength ?
do you have anyone who can store good items for a set period ?
any family relatives that you want to give anything to
good luck
its not an easy task - end of day it’s your personal decision - maybe check with any family members if they want anything - keepsake - or just be able to appreciate it?
On the other hand, my Son-in-Law's parents were hoarders, and no one wanted to touch the place, One of their storage units, they had 2, had nothing but empty boxes in it. Some rooms were so full of trash you couldn't walk into them. However, as they were cleaning the rooms out, they found many things of value. This week they are finally getting all the stuff out of the house so they can sell it. There were diamond rings, and a lot of brand new unboxed stuff they got from places like QVC that they never unboxed,
The bank told me about one place where people hide money is in prescription medicine bottles, they roll up money and stick it in the empty container.
I recommend you go with what you see, Every situation is different.
Estate sale companies that we contacted when we cleaned out my mom's house were looking to sell estates with high value items like coins, jewelry and guns, so that did not work out for us. We did find an online auction company called Maxsold . com which I highly recommend! At the end of the two weeks that we worked with them, everything was gone except for a desk, a wall unit and a book case. Those were easy to donate after. It was amazing how much stuff vanished during our auction and my mom received a check in the end for what was sold.
I strongly suggest that someone, a family member go through each unit looking for things that were put away for "safe keeping" Money, old family documents, and the occasional real treasure.
If you take each unit 1 by 1 the task is not so daunting.
Honestly if you do not care about any of the "stuff" and want nothing to do with it most storage unit places do auction off "abandoned" units. You would get nothing but you would not be paying on them any longer either.
This is not something that I would suggest just because you do not know what might be hidden away.
But to answer the basic question.. "can you sell at any price". If this is an Estate and the owners are dead and all debts have been paid that need to be paid off then you can sell at any price.
Had tables, $1.00-$10.00. Estate sales, not one was interested in taking one on due to the limited value of the product.
When my inlaws went into facilities and lost their home to foreclosure I went through all their stuff. My SFIL had some nice and interesting vintage items and some antiques. After having it on craigslist for a while (there was no FB Marketplace or Nextdoor.com back then) and getting worn down from selling things one by one, I decided to sell it in bulk. I took pictures of some of the most interesting items and then a picture of the mountain of all of it in my garage and said Best Offer for everything. It sold right away and I didn't have to price anything or fix or clean anything.
Go to Estatesales.net and find a local company with good reviews in Philly, and call them for guidance.
Good luck.
But if you are the one who is executor and are handling the estate you can gather and eliminate and put the funds from that in an account however you choose best to do it.
So I called the Salvation Army which came to get the furniture. The glassware, paintings, misc items in prestine condition when to a hospital rummage sale. Items in great to very good condition Goodwill took. And you would be surprised how many items I placed at curb side with a note saying FREE were picked up. Now a days, one can post photos of items For Sale/Free on NextDoor.com. Best to sell for cash compared to using Zelle or any of those on-line payment apps, heard too many issues of scams.