Q&A - How does estate sales work

---

1. How many days do you think it will take to set up?  

Depends on the size of the estate and the amount of the content, it takes approximately one to two weeks to set up the sale.   

2. Are there fees besides your commission?  

No, there is no additional fee for our standard services.  However, there are other expenses may incur, such as outside appraiser, advertising on local newspaper, professional disposal services, professional moving services, which will be deducted from the gross proceed of the sales.    

3. How many days will the sale itself be?  

Depends on the size of the estate and amount of contents, we may conduct a sale for two to four days.  A typical sale is two days.   

4. Do you pre-sell or allow people early entry?  

We do not allow early entry on the sale days.  However, if we believe a particular potential buyer will bring maximum amount of proceed, we will allow pre-sell.   

5. Do you have an appraiser on staff or access to one?  

Yes, in most of the cases, most of the items do not require an appraiser with specialty in a particular area.  But, we can bring one in if we ever need to.   

6. Do you or your employees buy items?  

We have specific guidelines on this topic.  In general, we do not allow items appraised by us to be sold to us.  However, for items appraised by outside appraisers, we do allow internal buying, but only on the last day of the sale, and the item cannot be taken off the display during the entire sale days.   

7. How long after the sale will I be paid?  

We will send you a check within 14 days from the conclusion of the sale, with payment amount as of gross sales less our commission and expenses, payable to the signature on Estate Sale Agreement.   

8. How will my home be left? Broom Clean, Empty, etc?  

Your home will left broom-clean.  It means all contents will be removed except for some items that could be left behind per our prior agreement and floors are lightly cleaned.  The home will still require deep cleaning if you need to bring it to showroom ready.   

9. Do you have insurance?  

Yes, we are insured for liability and bonded for surety through Antiques & Collectibles Insurance Group.   

10. Do you have a store?  

No, we do not have any physical store or warehouse.  However, we do have an online shop, so we can conduct online sales in order to provide solutions for clients' locations where onsite sales are not feasible.    

11. Do you have a contract? Can I take a copy home with me to look over?  

Yes, please contact us for a copy of a sample contract