Odds are that you’ve never had to plan an estate sale before, and you have a lot of questions about how to hold an estate sale. Who do you contact? What do you sell? What the heck is an estate sale in the first place? There are professional companies out there who can do it for you, but they cost a lot of money—and you probably don’t need their help anyway! A DIY estate sale is completely doable on your own with the right yard and estate sale tips, tricks, and advice.
In this three-part series, our experts at Yard Sale Radar will show you the specifics of how to hold an estate sale so that you know what to expect, how to plan it, how to sell as much as possible, and how to make the most money.
What Is an Estate Sale?
Many people planning their first estate sale aren’t entirely sure what an “estate sale” actually is or how an estate sales works. Sometimes, you will hear this term misused as a fancier way of referring to a regular yard sale. However, an estate sale is different from a yard sale.
The big difference between a yard sale and an estate sale is that an estate sale is the liquidation of most or all of the physical belongings in a home. Generally held after a death or family crisis, an estate sale is much bigger than a yard sale. If you don’t know when and how to hold an estate sale, here are some of those reasons for doing it:
Common Reasons for a Yard Sale | Common Reasons for an Estate Sale |
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Another important distinction is that, unlike a yard sale, an estate sale doesn’t necessarily involve hauling things out into the yard. Instead, buyers come into the home itself and move through most or all of the rooms while they shop. The only thing you really have to do to prepare is decide what you want to sell, how much you want to sell it for, and then post your prices!
What Is Your Goal?
The first part of figuring out how to hold an estate sale is understanding your goal. Different goals require different strategies. For example, if your goal is to earn money, your strategy to get there will be much different than someone’s strategy whose goal is to get rid of everything.
Get Rid of the Most Stuff | Earn the Most Money | Have the Easiest Sale |
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