SPECIAL COVID 19 COMPLIANCE ANNOUNCEMENT
So at the encouragement of several of my customers and with the most recent announcement by Estatesales.net to strip their website of all “on site” and “by appointment only” sales in accordance with the governor’s stay at home order and social distancing guidelines, I have decided to post an advertisement for my online auction group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/ahiddentreasure/ , in an effort to provide folks with an alternative means to get their estate sales conducted. We have been around for about 6 years and offer an alternative to the traditional estate sale format. We recognize that while we are in the middle of a pandemic and many of us are embracing a “new normal” to our everyday lifestyles that many of our customers still have need of estate sale services. They have to get houses ready to go onto the market (i.e make repairs, do general maintenance, etc) and they can’t do this while the houses are still full of items. Many of these folks are not capable of emptying these houses due to a variety of reasons (physical limitations, other commitments, distance from the house, etc). Our business model is a little different from the traditional on site people but our basic goal is the same and that is to get you the best price for your items that we can. There are several benefits to the online auction. They are:
1. Lower percentage charged by us due to less overhead (no price tags, signage, hourly employees, etc)
This sale description was copied from EstateSales.NET on 6/9/2023 (27-118-8:54:16 AM). Please check there for accurate up-to-date information (238-3).
2. No excessive parade of strangers through your property. The only folks who come to the property are those picking up large items. Small items are taken away to a remote location for pickup by the buyer(s). This minimizes the risk of damage to the property, dirtying of floors, etc. It also reduces the number of people who know the physical location of the house and that it is vacant.
3. No pilferage problems.
4. For many of the items there is no contact or very minimal contact due to payment options made electronically and videotaped pickup locations. This is perfect due to our current situation.
5. No “dickering” or wondering if you got the best price you could. Typical auction style format with highest bidder winning so you know you got the best price that a person was willing to pay. We even allow you to set the starting bid on a limited number of pieces if you want to. Currently we have over 4100 bidders.
We realize that the reasons for having an estate sale are varied. Some are good reasons such as a retired couple downsizing to move closer to their grandchildren or perhaps fulfill a lifelong fantasy to travel the country or world. Others are sad occasions such as the death of a loved one, a transition to assisted living or a nursing home, or liquidating to pay unexpected bills. Regardless of the reasons for the sale, we can all agree it's a stressful time. Let us help you take some of the stress off of your plate by organizing, staging, advertising and executing your sale. Before you begin though, here are a few helpful steps.
1. Allow your family to go through and remove all of the items that they want to keep. I have seen more drama happen because a family member wasn't afforded this opportunity. Drama only leads to making a already stressful process more stressful.
2. Remove (as much as you can) any personally identifiable information from the premises. This includes passports, tax forms, birth certificates, etc. Remember people you are not familiar will be coming through your residence. Don't let identity theft happen.
3. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT throw anything out. You've heard the saying "one person's trash is another's treasure". I have been shocked at some of the things people will purchase at these sales. Also, don't worry about having too much or not enough for a sale (we can adjust dates and times at a later date)
4. Contact me (Gary) at 804-919-9710 so we can schedule a time to meet at the location of the sale. Don't worry about trying to sort things or organize. We can do that for you as we have the knowledge of how to group things for sale. At that time we can do a walk through of the location, discuss available dates/times, discuss any restrictions (i.e. parking restrictions, HOA rules, etc), discuss access and prep time needed, and any other details (i.e. if the property is being sold, maybe you'd like to have the listing agent on site that day or at least have fliers handed out to each person that comes).
5. The only thing I won't sell is bibles. It is just a personal thing with me that I just don't feel right doing. I will package them and donate them for you if you don't want them but I won't sell them.
6. Please understand that regardless of who you decide to do your estate sale, that there is really absolutely no difference in how companies do your sale. It's really more about your chemistry and you being comfortable with the people doing the sale; and of course how much percentage you want to pay. All companies operate off of a percentage basis (ranging from 25% - 45%; I happen to be at 30%) which means they all are going to get you the best prices that the market will deliver because your sale doing well translates into them doing well so don't be taken in by marketing ploys of "we'll get you top dollar" because all companies will do that.
Once we have an agreement in place we can begin organizing and preparing for the sale. 70% of the net sales after any expenses (I will provide receipts) will be delivered to you in a certified check along with the spreadsheet within 5 business days of the completion of the sale.
thank you in advance for allowing my family the opportunity to assist your family.