The estate sale business is largely unregulated in most areas. It’s up to you to choose a reputable company with experience and credentials behind them. To get you started, these are Paint & Patina's Top 10 Suggestions for “what to ask” and “what to search” when choosing an Estate Sale company.
1) Registration
Search your Secretary of State business archives online to verify that the company is legitimately registered as an estate sale business.
2) Certification
Ask for any appraisal certifications, auctioneering certifications or other related credentials. Then search the certifying organization to verify that they are still up-to-date.
3) Insurance
Ask to see their current certificate of insurance.
4) Conflict-of-Interest
Find out if the owner has a resale shop, booth or other such business. Knowing this allows you to ask about potential conflicts-of-interest with regard to marketing and fairly pricing your items.
5) Experience
Search their website for current and past projects, including client testimonials. Ask about a specific project and it's outcome.
6) Pricing
Ask about their pricing philosophy and how they arrive at their asking prices.
7) Accounting
Find out how they provide confirmation of sale totals or if they can provide transaction logs.
8) Security
Ask about their procedures regarding the security of your property during sale operations.
9) Trust
Ask for examples of when their business ethics came in to play and how they handled the situation.
10) Contract
Make sure you get a written contract signed by both parties before any work begins!
1) Registration
Search your Secretary of State business archives online to verify that the company is legitimately registered as an estate sale business.
2) Certification
Ask for any appraisal certifications, auctioneering certifications or other related credentials. Then search the certifying organization to verify that they are still up-to-date.
3) Insurance
Ask to see their current certificate of insurance.
4) Conflict-of-Interest
Find out if the owner has a resale shop, booth or other such business. Knowing this allows you to ask about potential conflicts-of-interest with regard to marketing and fairly pricing your items.
5) Experience
Search their website for current and past projects, including client testimonials. Ask about a specific project and it's outcome.
6) Pricing
Ask about their pricing philosophy and how they arrive at their asking prices.
7) Accounting
Find out how they provide confirmation of sale totals or if they can provide transaction logs.
8) Security
Ask about their procedures regarding the security of your property during sale operations.
9) Trust
Ask for examples of when their business ethics came in to play and how they handled the situation.
10) Contract
Make sure you get a written contract signed by both parties before any work begins!
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