Monday, September 23, 2013

Understanding New England Estate Sales

By Dale Peck


New England estate sales are events at which property and belongings of deceased individuals are advertised and sold. Events of this kind are generally completed by companies that specialize in such sales. The property and belongings offered may include personal items, the dwelling itself, in the land where it is located. Motor vehicles and other large items may also be offered. An auction is sometimes conducted at the same time.

In most cases, such a sale is held in the same place where the deceased has lived. The loved ones of the individual who has passed away typically go through the household first and remove whatever items they would like to keep. After this task has been completed, they can either run the sale on their own, or hire licensed professionals to oversee the cleaning, sorting, moving, and pricing of leftover items. Even if several individuals share the responsibilities, organizing such a sale is a tremendous amount of work. For this reason, most individuals employ a professional to handle the process.

In many instances, before the actual sale takes place, a presale event is held for friends and relatives. This gives the latter a chance to purchase or receive items for free prior to the sale opening to the public. However, in some instances a presale is not pursued. This will largely depend on the personal preferences of the loved ones of the deceased.

The home of the deceased individual is typically vacated prior to the sale being conducted. In unusual cases, however, members of the household are still residing in the home when the sale is underway. The majority of experts suggest that the residents vacate the home before a sale or auction.

Checking the credentials of any company one is considering doing business with is always wise. It is a good idea to find out if the person handles such sales on a regular basis, or if he or she does not have extensive experience. It is wise to ask friends or relatives for referrals when searching for such an individual. One may also wish to visit other sales in order to observe the style of the company and how well they handle the goods and property during each transaction.

In most cases, the estate sale operator will provide a contract to be signed by the man or women in charge of the estate. This is because the person handling the sale earns a commission on the total amount received after all the items have been sold. All clients should read such paperwork carefully prior to signing on the dotted line.

Another wise course of action is to avoid discarding any items that are not damaged or broken. This is because certain items are worth more money than a person may realize, but a trained estate sale operator will be able to tell the difference. In addition, there are collectors for essentially every kind of item, so even those that may only fetch a dollar or two will add to the total amount of monies earned in the sale.

Most New England estate sales professionals will handle the advertising for the sale, as well as the actual transactions when items are purchased. However, this will vary greatly from one company to the next, and therefore it is something that the client should ask about in advance. Ultimately, when the best company is chosen, an estate sale should be a smooth and seamless event.




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