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Liquidating every item in a home involves a tremendous amount of work & can be emotionally draining to family members facing this arduous task. Everything from furniture & appliances to books & tools must be cleaned, identified, organized, appraised & priced before being sold at an estate sale held in a single weekend. When a sale is put in the hands of a professional, full-service estate sale company, many families will realize much more profit than if they handled it themselves. Although the typical charge for handing an estate sale may be 35% to 60% of the sale proceeds, a great deal more money will be realized if items are properly identified & priced by someone with a strong background in antique & vintage items. A blue opalescent pitcher, e.g., was bought for $25 at a family-run estate sale. Four family members were present at this sale in north central Austin & none of them recognized this rare Northwood Daffodil tankard water pitcher for what it was: a 1910 treasure that sold shortly afterwards to a New York glass collector for $1,900. On that item alone, they would have realized $1,210 additional profit had they hired an honest, knowledgeable professional to run their sale. This estate was full of lots of good glass, pottery, handmade quilts & other wonderful items &, unfortunately for the family, all were sold at far below market value. Costly mistakes are also made by so-called experts. On November 20, 2010, a 5'x7' weaving was sold at a central Austin professionally-run estate sale. It was an early Navajo chief's blanket, valued in the thousands of dollars. Here's the e-mail I received from the savvy (& fortunate) buyer who had it recently appraised: "I paid $37 for it & I can't believe they didn't know what they had. Some of these people shouldn't be running estate sales Anne!!" The unfortunate family who hired the expert never had a clue. Anne Dee Estate Sales has the research experience, the organizational skills & the resources to make sure the above scenarios will not happen to your family’s estate. See 10 Tips: How to Choose an Estate Sale Service. We charge 38% commission from the proceeds. Our expenses are taken from our commission & not from the gross amount received at the sale. Along with your check, you will receive, within 24 hours of the end of the estate sale, a copy of the ledger created during the sale. A simple one-page agreement explaining what we expect of you & what you can expect from us will be left with you after our complimentary, no-obligation consultation & initial on-site evaluation. If we both agree that Anne Dee Estate Sales is the company that will best meet your needs, a date will be chosen & we will go to work. We provide folding tables & bookcases, damask table linens, lockable jewelry cases, professional clothing racks, extra lighting, plate holders, online & local advertising, our private e-mail list of more than 3,100 recent customers, a rented e-mail list of more than 25,000 active customers from San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Waco & surrounding areas, bright yellow professional directional signs, cleaning & paper supplies, labor & security. We look forward to your call or e-mail. Thank you. |