Alternative Options to Traditional Estate Sales for Smaller Estates

Margie Beegle Sales
Margiebeeglesales.com

Based in Houston, Texas, Margiebeeglesales.com is a leading estate sale management and appraisal business. The team of estate professionals at Margiebeeglesales.com is capable of providing clients with an array of services and information, including comparisons of the benefits of donations, consignments, and estate sales.

When it comes to estate sales for smaller estates (namely those under $5,000), individuals have a number of options. Consignment, for example, may represent the most prudent option for individuals who do not live near the estate being sold, and who do not itemize on their taxes.

In other scenarios, a smaller estate or specific high-value items may be added to a larger estate. However, this option is better suited to antiques and high-quality furnishings, while charitable donations can provide convenience and better value for general household goods.

Of course, individuals and families must first gain an understanding of what can and cannot be sold during a traditional estate sale. For example, vintage wine and other high-value alcohol products cannot be moved at an estate sale. In order to learn more about estate sales and efficient alternatives, please visit the Margie Beegle Sales, Inc. website.

Top Tips for Finding Undervalued Items at Estate Sales

Margie Beegle Sales
Image: Margiebeeglesales.com

Margiebeeglesales.com is an established estate sale management company in Houston. The experienced staff at margiebeeglesales.com has ensured efficient, entertaining estate sales for clients with all sizes of estates. As the staff at Margiebeeglesales.com understands, items sold at estate sales vary considerably and can sometimes be sold at bargain prices. Here are some tips on how to increase your chance of finding undervalued and unpriced items at estate sales.

– Shop frequently. The most successful bargain finders shop regularly to view a wide range of items for sale locally and through online auctions. The more you shop, the more likely it is you’ll encounter a great deal.

– Bring reference materials with you. Keep reference books in your vehicle or check these resources online to determine the value of any items you are questioning.

– Train your eye to recognize the signs of quality. Though you don’t need to know about every specific type of antique, you can learn to search for marks and labels that indicate high-quality craftsmanship, distinguish porcelain and fine glass from lower-quality pieces, and notice details such as delicate stitching in fabrics and unique designs in furniture.

– Shop at the beginning and end of the sale. Arrive at an estate early before items have been picked over by others. It’s also helpful to shop during the final hours of an estate sale since prices are more likely to drop toward the end of it.

Auctions vs Estate Sales

Margie Beegle Sales
Margiebeeglesales.com

A pioneer in the field of estate sales, margiebeeglesales.com employs a team of professionals with decades of experience and expertise in all aspects of the field. Dedicated to customer service, the professionals at margiebeeglesales.com help their clients get top dollar, and one aspect of this process is deciding if any of the items should be sent to auction.

Individuals who are downsizing, moving, or otherwise needing to dispose of a lot of items quickly have several options, but to maximize equity in most estates an in-house estate sale is the single best option to get top dollar. Garage sales draw buyers who want to pay very little, online or ebay auctions are only good for rare and sought after items, and auctions (like Sotheby’s or Bonham’s) are for truly spectacular items.

According to professionals in the field, an auction can be a good choice for individuals who have extremely rare and valuable items to sell. That’s because a successful auction requires bidders to bid against one another to raise the price. Typically, however, those with less valuable items will see lower prices for their items than they would through an estate sale because with an auction buyers have to pay a buyer’s premium of between 10 and 20 percent and there is a shipping cost if they do not live where the auction is taking place.

For individuals with general household items, furniture, tools, and clothing, an estate sale offers several advantages over a traditional auction.

First, an estate sale features fixed prices, and these prices do not include the 10 to 25 percent markups that auction items receive to cover the auction company’s fees.

Second, estate sales tend to draw individuals interested in and prepared to buy many ordinary items, as opposed to auctions which may draw buyers interested in just one valuable piece. When an estate sale is managed by a professional company with experience staging and pricing the items, the seller can realize better overall revenue.

Don’t Overlook Household Items in Estate Sales

Margie Beegle Sales
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A leading estate sale company in Houston, Texas, the team at margiebeeglesales.com leverages more than 50 years of combined experience to assist the company’s clients. In addition to handling full-service estate sales, the professionals at margiebeeglesales.com send auction quality items to auction houses across the country on behalf of their clients, facilitates with partial estate sales management, and offers appraisal services. The team also works closely with clients to identify items that can bring top dollar in a sale.

Though the idea of an estate sale might bring to mind priceless antiques and paintings by old masters, experts suggest that a successful estate sale doesn’t need rare and valuable items. In fact, some of the consistently bestselling items at estate sales are everyday items that one might not even think to sell. For example, regular household items such as tools, garden implements, and even everyday kitchen supplies tend to be more efficient sellers than antique china or a set of your grandmother’s silver.

This phenomenon is a result of a changing estate sale industry in which non-essentials such as silver and china are becoming less popular. This is also a good reason to hire an estate sale company to manage your sale. Experienced estate sale professionals, such as the team at margiebeeglesales.com, pay close attention to the changing popularity of items and know how to price items for a quick, but profitable, sale.

The Benefits of Hiring the ‘Right’ Estate Sales Company

Margie Beegle Sales
Image: Margiebeeglesales.com

An established estate sale management and appraisal company based in Houston, Texas, Margiebeeglesales.com has over twenty years of experience in the business. Margie and Jennifer have a combined 50 years of experience handling estate sales and brokering items ranging from $1.00 to over $100,000.00. Margiebeeglesales.com has served clients with all matters concerning the appraisal and sales of estates to ensure the process is efficient and that clients receive top dollar for their items. Having an estate sale is beneficial in a number of ways.

An estate sale is ideal for clearing a house of items if you are relocating, downsizing, or taking care of the belongings of a loved one who has passed. The sale will help empty the house to prepare it for potential buyers and can generate income that can be used for renovation fees, moving costs, and final expenses, among other things.

Having an estate sale company sort through items that belonged to a family member can relieve you of the emotional burden of having to organize these items yourself, and can also save you valuable time. Further, with a combined 50 years of experience Margie and Jennifer– who is an accredited appraiser with the International Society of Appraisers–know how to property value the large range of items found in estates. With the wrong company estate values can be decimated by having items being priced to high to sell or even worse have items of great value priced too low. Also, Margiebeeglesales.com advertise and market each of their sales items to not only their email list of thousands but also advertise locally in papers and nationally thus increasing the likelihood items will not just sell but will sell for the best price possible.