What Is an Estate Sale?
What is an estate sale? Learn how estate sales work, costs, potential earnings, and what to expect when liquidating a home's belongings.
It’s likely you’ve seen signs advertising estate sales but never thought you’d need to hold one yourself. Now you may be asking, What is an estate sale? What will it cost? How much will I need to handle myself?
We recognize that you may be facing these questions at a difficult time. In this post, we’ll provide clear, direct answers to these and other common estate sale questions to help you move forward and know what to expect.
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What is an estate sale?
An estate sale is a public event organized to sell the majority of personal belongings from a home (typically before selling the house). Sales are often held as the result of a major life change, such as relocating for medical reasons, downsizing, or the death of a loved one. Because estate sales involve selling almost everything — from furniture to musical instruments — they often attract collectors, antique dealers, and serious buyers.
Professional estate sale companies handle the organization, pricing, staging, and marketing efforts to attract buyers and maximize your profits. Some companies specialize in online sales, while others offer a hybrid of traditional and online services.
