How EstateMAX Does It!

How Do We Do It

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An estate sale floor

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After you hire us-we have a very straight forward contract for on-site and online auctions, that offers additional services, too, like transitions services, packing, property clean out, updating and staging. We get to work.

We are a personalized company. You communicate what you need and we design your project to accommodate your needs.

For On-Site EstateMAX tag Sales, we organize, merchandise, price and set up our props, tables, the cashier station to conduct the sale on-site. (For on-site sales, typically our clients have already moved out with the things they are keeping. If not, we purge and organize before our set up.)

For Online OPS auctions we set up from your pre selected inventory, tag with a bar code  and photograph in your home. These items stay in place until after the auction, when we come in to meet the buyers for pickup at a predetermined time, done in typically one day. (The Client is not part of the photography or delivery process.)

On-line auctions are appropriate for liquidating personal property in a situation where there is difficulty accessing the property, for a smaller property, where the owner is not selling and leaving the home and, where it’s OK for the auction house can “cherry pick” the inventory to sell only the best of the goods.

Typically, after the sale is over, we  clean out the property, leave it empty and swept and ready for the next step-


What’s the difference in the results between onsite and online? All jobs are unique and they all have their similarities.

It’s all about the audience. An estate sale, regardless of the sales strategy- is NOT a retail setting. A fictitious example: Your Aunt Edna’s Grandmother’s vase, supposedly found buried in Latvia in the 17th century, (your prized possession)… It needs to be authenticated and appraised and if an antiquity, sold online, where it will be exposed to the largest audience. If we can’t do that, we shop for the best auction venue for you.

On the contrary, your Ethan Allen sofa purchased in the 90’s, and still barely touched, as lovely as new, is worth what we can get for it, regardless of the price paid. Why? Because of capricious tastes in furniture.

Your expectations should be in check. https://estatemaxops.com/2019/09/11/downsizing-selling-your-stuff-minimize-your-expectations-maximize-your-planning/


An onsite sale attracts hundreds of buyers in person who are responding to our professional marketing and advertising, who might have shopped with EstateMAX before, and also those who are “driving by” and reacting to street-side advertising. They want to come into the home and “experience the goods in the setting”.

Price points for on-site sales start, as it makes sense,-considering all circumstances: item’s condition, rarity, demand, setting. We set the price on a price tag and discount over the course of the sale, remaining open to negotiation based on the buyer’s volume purchases.

In contrast but not to the detriment, online auctions are 1-dimensional. They attract an online viewership comfortable with buying used goods without testing, poking and touching.  The items are photographed either on site or on a stark, white background.  From a thousand to a hundred thousand viewers and more…that all depends on the auction and the depth of advertising dollars spent.

All items are sold “AS IS”, Electronics and equipment are not tested, but sold “AS IS” with that caveat. All sales are final for both sales strategies. You, the client is paid within 5 days of the end of the sale by secure bank wire transfer. 

What Do We Sell!?

EstateMAX puts up for sale the personal property-all contents- of estates and homes that both gone through their downsizing process or estates that are full of personal property, AS-IS.

In which case we do full organization and trash removal as part of our estate sale service.

Just ask us if you have questions about our ability to market your items to the right buying groups.

Inventories of used and like new items can include and are not limited to, (in no preferential order as below:)

  • Furniture
  • Decor ( Lamps, Lighting, Mirrors, Wall Shelves, Hardware. etc.)
  • Clocks
  • Books
  • Antiques and Collectibles of all Types and Descriptions
  • Precious Metals and Coins
  • Fine and Costume Jewelry
  • Fine and Decorative Art
  • Figurines, Sculpture, etc.
  • Fine Porcelain, China, Pottery
  • Fine Crystal
  • Vintage Glassware
  • Electronics, including non working, vintage computers, receivers, stereos, etc
  • Vinyl LP’s and 45’s
  • DVD’s, CD’s, XBox, etc.
  • Cell phones, other phones
  • Day to Day Kitchen Ware in Good Condition
  • Linens, Table and Bedding
  • Quilts and Fabrics, Textiles
  • Sewing Equipment
  • Dolls, Doll Accessories
  • Advertising Memorabilia
  • Native American Collections
  • Specialty Collections
  • Military Uniforms and Medals and Flags
  • Legal Firearms, Armament
  • Passenger Vehicles: (whether running or not)
  • Lawn and Garden Equipment
  • Farm Equipment
  • Power and Hand Tools and Hardware
  • Garage Items
  • New Building Materials
  • Appliances
  • Musical Instruments
  • Ephemera of all types
  • Designer and Vintage Clothing and High Quality Clothing including
  • Bags, Scarves, Shoes
  • Food in Cupboards
  • And More- Just Ask!

What we do not sell: These Items Can be Considered as Trash or Recycling For all Intents and Purposes of an Estate Sale and Should be Removed From the House Before Estate Sale Setup-either by the Client or EstateMAX Will Handle as Pre-sale Trash Out at Additional Cost, Deducted From the Sale Proceeds-

  • Mattresses and Box Springs ( we can give away with the Headboard, etc.) Against the law to sell used. Ask Us!
  • Piles of empty boxes
  • Particle Board Furniture- Does not usually survive moving and re-installation
  • Broken Furniture, Unless Antique or Collectible-Ask Us!
  • Used Building Materials, Unless Pristine!
  • Personal Trophies, Photos  (Antique Scrapbooks are OK!)
  • Old Software Not Dedicated to Vintage Electronics
  • Old Clothes, Unless Designer and or Vintage/Antique
  • Lawn Chemicals that are opened or illegal ( DDT, etc.)
  • Worn Towels, etc. are donated to Animal Shelters
  • Expired Personal Care Products
  • Very Old, Expired Foods
  • Periodicals-unless Collectible- Ask Us! ( Not Ntl. Geographics.) Are all recycled!
  • Non working appliances- can be recycled by your electric company if they are operating, or can be recycled as scrap
  • Old Baby Cribs, Car Seats, etc. that are not up to current safety codes
  • Soiled Kitchen ware
  • Plastic storage containers, can be recycled

DO NOT DONATE ANYTHING TO CHARITY BEFORE YOUR SALE INVENTORY IS REVIEWED BY ESTATEMAX.

WE SELL FIRST, THEN DONATE AND TRASH LAST

CALL ESTATEMAX at 301-332-5585 for your No Cost Consultation!

 

 

 

EstateMAX Action Page: See if an Estate Sale is Right for You!

You are only ONE CLICK Away:

*Click HERE to see if an Estate Sale is Right for YOU!    

*Click HERE to Read About How WE DO IT, and what makes EstateMax Special!    

*Click HERE to Read our Reviews!     

*Click HERE to See our You Tube Channel!  [actual sale Promotional Videos, and tours of our recent estate sales!]   

*Click HERE to see our Angie’s List Super Service Award, that SHOWS we are different!     

*Click HERE to see how we can help you Organize, Pack-up, and Coordinate your Move with “Mission Transition”   

*Click HERE to Contact us to ANSWER YOUR Questions, or to Book your Estate Sale!     

Amateur Estate Sale Newcomers Spoil the Results for Senior Clients!

In the course of several recent estate sale client interviews, it has become apparant that there are now many “newcomers” to our business (of 21 years) that are confusing the market with sub-par performances.

The problem is that there is no licensing requirements  in MD, VA, DC, to be in the estate sale business, so that basically anybody that has ever had a yard sale thinks they can join the business! Caveat emptor!

This is an art and a science that can only be honed by YEARS of trials of technique. Since most clients only hold and conduct ONE in-home estate sale in their lifetime, the newcomers with half-baked methods are never “outted”, and continue to take advantage of new clients with minimal results and perhaps no payment at the end20190515_094204What was once chaos becomes order and assets with EstateMAX estate sales systems.

We at www.EstateMAXops.com have 72 client reviews you can read on this link from Angie’s List, and we hold their highest honor, the coveted AAAAA Super Service Award earned by real client experiences over the past 9 of our 21 years in the industry.

If you want experience and integrity with solid business practices, call Steve or Laurie at EstateMAX for your no cost consultation to get started.

Check us out and call us! We get more for your good stuff.

Integrity Notice: CAVEAT EMPTOR When Hiring Estate Sale and Auctioneers

INTEGRITY NOTICE: State of Maryland has no licensing requirements for auctioneers or estate sale companies!

The industry is becoming a playground for the inexperienced, unincorporated, uninsured newbie (sometimes criminal), individuals and unestablished small businesses looking for a “fun” income, “digging through” houses, and running weekend “yard sales”. (The results reflect the same.) These are the people handling your assets!

In turn, the State ( and Montgomery County, MD has instituted rigorous legislation that enforces sales of second hand goods of many types: Electronics, Jewelry, Furs, Fine Art, etc.

Your estate sale company is required to be registered with the State Police and report any item in a Maryland home that is up for sale that falls under these categories or risk prosecution.

(Just what small business doesn’t need, more regulation but…) Because of a few criminals and too many operators with low standards, we all pay the price.) 

On the contrary, EstateMAX is registered, fingerprinted, taxpaying and reporting. With 21 years in this business, in the Washington DC Metro, we are a known entity. Check our Angie’s List Reviews!

Why Pay Full Price for Consumables?

After 37 years on the front lines of Consumer Goods via traditional channels like big box stores and specialty boutique locations, I fell into the estate sale business and never looked back; I know how you can save yourself a bundle on stuff you will want!

My main revelation upon joining forces with industry veteran Laurie Zook in our company “EstateMax” was that the successful “Boomer” generation is downsizing and moving to retirement locations at a record pace.   We call these “Living Estate Sales.”  So, In addition to normal “estate sales” where folks have passed and there is a legal estate to be liquidated, most of our work is in turning unneeded good stuff into cash for our clients.  To fund their starting over…

This is a happy occasion, as clients opt to start over again, rid themselves of stuff they no longer need – due to duplication, or just wanting a fresh start – and they get the cash!

Much of what we find now is cool vintage stuff, collectables, antique goods, such as furniture, art, apparel, books, and nicnacs, items from world travel in some cases.  When sold, these goods get a second life, and go to estate sale shoppers who refurbish, or collect, or resell.  Talk about a treasure house full of things that could become unique wedding gifts!

Fair market value of the goods can be 30 cents on the dollar in many cases less.  So the owner gets cash back after a lifetime of use, and the new owner finds great stuff, many times  in great condition and hardly used at all, due to the love given to the goods by the original owners.  China, silverware, linens, decor……

For our younger shoppers, just starting out, it’s a gold mine of stuff needed for everyday life, or even a first collectable antique or art object for home decor.  One can furnish an entire home or apartment for much less than half of what it would cost in a traditional store….and many times you would get BETTER STUFF than they offer now…… because…..they really don’t make ’em like they used to!

Lastly, learn more about the business and how to find sales at www.EstateMaxOPS.com

See you there,    –Steve Berryman.

 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/why-pay-full-price-for-consumables/article_ffa6ae48-75d7-11e6-b853-efd8a11a8acb.html

The Basics of Estate Sales Etiquette

In Kindergarten We Learned To Say PLEASE!

First Rule of Estate Sale Purchasing: The House is Full of Pre-Owned Merchandise. Caveat Emptor. All Sales Final!

  • Discounts Set Throughout The Weekend-We Don’t Tell You in Advance…
  • Expect Items Here & There to Lack Price Tags. Do Not Berate the Estate Seller For This Imperfection… (Not Intentional, Just An Overlooked Item, An Item Recently Dug Out of the Dregs of the Sale, or the Tags Have Been Removed By “Dust Mite Fairies”…) Just Ask The Sales Associate On The Floor !
  • We Are Not Perfect. Expectation of Perfection Will Result in Disappointment & Quibbling. We Hate Quibbling and It Makes for A Grumpy Cashier!
  • You Might Have to Wait Your Turn. Please Be Reasonable. Do Not Push or Shout or Demand…
  • If you Don’t Get the Deal You Want Today, Please Come Back Tomorrow!
    We Work For Our Client. We Are Here To Sell You The Goods Contained In This House At The Highest Possible Price. That Changes Often. That Is How We Make A Living And Our Client Expects It.
  • We Are a Small Business Employing Otherwise Unemployed Individuals In A Tricky Economy. We Are Doing Good Things With Good People And Giving You Excellent Deals By Doing So!
  • LOOK UP! WATCH YOUR STEP…Proceed At Your Own Risk! We Are Not Responsible For Risky, Moves Or Accidents. Every Action Has An Equal And Opposite Reaction: You Move Something It Will Have an Effect on Something Else, Dust Mites, Falling Objects, Etc.
  • Being Nice to The Cashier Is Appreciated. Please Help Us Make This a Positive Sale…Pay With Small Bills, Please, Credit Cards Accepted With a $3 Fee, OR 3% of Total.
  • Bring Bags And Boxes. We Rarely Have Enough.
  • If You’re An Expert In Something…We Need to Learn About It, If We Have The Time… If We’re Busy, We Can’t Always Listen…
  • Haggling Is Expected, But is Distinct From Quibbling… We Want to Make the Best Deal Possible For Both Sides of The Negotiation.
  • Stealing Is Wrong, Stupid, Selfish and Sociopathic and Doing So Shows Very Poor Judgment. You Will Be Found And Fed to the Other Estate Sale Attendees!

Thank You For your Understanding and Your Business! Laurie and the EstateMAX team

 

Tips on choosing an estate sale company – from SeniorAdvisor.com

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Estate Sales

[Tips and checklists from http://www.SeniorAdvisor.com]

Estate sale companies are businesses that facilitate the organization, pricing, marketing, and selling of some or all of the contents of an individual’s or family’s home. These services may be necessary after a family member passes away, or may be part of the downsizing process when the resident of the home moves into a different living arrangement.

Learn more about estate sales:

View a glossary of estate sale industry terms.

What are the benefits of using an estate sale service?

Many of the activities involved in hosting an estate sale may sound like holding a yard sale or garage sale, something many homeowners have done themselves. While there are certainly similarities, estate sales operate on a much larger scale, and often deal with items of more value. It is possible for an individual or family to have an estate sale without professional assistance, but hiring a service can make the process much less stressful and more profitable.Benefits of hiring an estate sale service include:

  • Saves time and energy. Family members don’t need to personally sort and catalog every item in a home, or worry about how to set up and run the sale.
  • Reduces stress. Professionals offload the burden of managing all of the “stuff” and provide an objective, experienced perspective in an emotionally fraught process.
  • Increases revenue. Estate sale companies know which items are most valuable to buyers and price your items accordingly, helping families make the most of the downsizing or liquidation process.
  • Boosts visibility. By marketing and advertising your sale, service providers ensure that you attract as many buyers as possible.
  • Adds credibility. Professional estate sales carry a greater perceived value than family-run sales, attracting a higher quantity and quality of customers – sometimes up to several thousand people in a day!

What are the different types of estate sale services?

Estate sale services describe their businesses in a variety of ways depending on their specialty, but there are two basic categories:Companies that focus on estate sales after the passing of a loved one:

  • Estate sale services
  • Estate liquidators

Companies that focus on assisting seniors with downsizing:

  • Senior relocation services
  • Senior move management services
  • Downsizing or “rightsizing” moving companies

Regardless of the focus, these businesses typically provide similar services, including organizing the contents of a home, researching and assigning a fair market value to the items designated to be sold, advertising and marketing the estate sale in order to attract buyers, running the sale itself, and assisting with removal of any remaining items after the sale.

How does an estate sale work?

An estate sale, also known as a tag sale, is the process of selling all or most of the contents of a home. Estate sales are typically held after a death or other major life event, such as moving, divorce, or bankruptcy. Although they can be run by the homeowner or family, estate sales are typically held by professional service providers and operate at a larger scale than a yard or garage sale.

Organizing the Sale

Before a sale, the estate sale company assists the family or homeowner with organizing, sorting, and pricing their belongings. They then prepare the house for the sale by cleaning and staging the items to optimize visibility. The day of the sale, the public is invited into the home to browse the items for sale. The estate sale company coordinates the buying and selling process from end to end.

This often includes managing substantial traffic flow. Popular estate sales can open with a line out the door, and estate sale etiquette dictates that customers remain in this order so that everything is seen on a “first come first serve” basis. Some estate sale companies use a number system to guarantee this process, in which every customer is given a number as he or she arrives and shopping proceeds based on that order.

Purchasing and Selling the Items

At the sale, customers simply pick up smaller items that they wish to buy and take them to the check out station to complete their purchase. They may also tell sale attendants to mark larger items as sold. The option to bargain for price depends on the sale. Some estate sale companies will also allow bids on more expensive items, using a system similar to a silent auction in which a customer sets out a price that he or she is willing to pay, but only retains claim on that item if someone else is not willing to pay more. The item is sold to the highest bidder at the end of the day. Traditionally, many estate sales only took cash, but that is changing with mobile credit card readers and some sales now accept major credit cards as well.

Some estate sale companies sell items through other venues in addition to the home, such as online auctions, directly to antique dealers or brokers, or to private collectors. The vendor is motivated to sell your belongings for the best possible price, because their compensation is based on the value received for your items. In return for their services, estate sale companies take a percentage of the total earnings from the sale, typically 25-35%.

What services are provided by estate sale companies?

Whether an estate sale company is assisting with an entire estate liquidation or helping with the downsizing process, they typically offer an end-to-end set of services that help families transition out of the existing home. Services provided by estate sale companies may include:

Preparing for the estate sale

  • Meeting with an estate attorney if necessary
  • Helping decide what to sell, what to donate, what to keep in the family, what to move, etc.
  • Determining what can and cannot fit in a new home
  • Organizing and sorting personal belongings according to individual wishes and/or a will or trust
  • Cleaning items for sale as necessary
  • Inventory and photographing items for sale
  • Appraising items to be sold and determine most profitable sales method (in-home estate sale, online auction, antique dealer, private collector, etc.)
  • Cleaning and preparing the house
  • Advertising and marketing the sale

Running the estate sale

  • Staging the home and its contents for optimal flow and visibility
  • Organizing items for sale attractively with clear pricing
  • Managing the sale the day of, including customer service, traffic flow, purchases, inventory management, bookkeeping, and hosting
  • Providing security to direct cars and secure valuables
  • Selling items via other venues such as online auctions or direct to dealers if optimal

After the estate sale

  • Taking follow-up inventory
  • Coordinating removal of remaining items, such as donations or delivery of heirlooms or inherited items to family members or new owners
  • Accounting for profits from sale and any additional legal or financial considerations, such as tax deductions from donations
  • Arranging for storage if necessary
  • Preparing the existing home to be sold, often including cleaning and/or repairs
  • Working with senior real estate agents, accountants, elder law attorneys, movers, additional experts or appraisers

News and Articles about Estate Sales

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