How To Conduct an Estate Sale After a Loved One’s Passing
February 4, 2025 | Family Life
The passing of a loved one is an emotionally challenging time, and dealing with the logistics of cleaning out their home, sorting through their belongings, and deciding what to do with them can be particularly overwhelming. Estate sales are a great option for selling selected items after you’ve chosen what you want to keep.
However, planning an estate sale involves many details. Our team at Metro Self Storage has gathered helpful tips and tricks for conducting an estate sale, including how to sort through belongings and effectively plan and execute the sale.
A Step-by-Step Approach to Sorting Belongings With Care
Going through your loved one’s belongings is an incredibly emotional task. Here are our tips on how to sort through these items:
- Start with an organized plan of action by setting aside designated times to go through the rooms of your loved one’s home.
- Categorize items and group by type, like clothing, kitchenware, lawn care, or room, such as living room, bedroom, and kitchen.
- When planning the estate sale, determine which items to sell, keep for sentimental reasons, and donate. Duplicate items are often good candidates for selling or donating, while specific belongings that hold deep emotional value should be kept.
- If you choose to part with items that hold personal or sentimental value, take a moment to remember your loved one and cherish the memories associated with those items. Letting go of something that carries precious memories can be emotionally challenging. Be sure to ask yourself whether you might regret parting with the item—your answer could greatly influence your decision to keep or let it go.
- Organize the items you wish to keep separately from those for sale to avoid confusion and prevent reviewing items multiple times.
Planning an Estate Sale After the Death of a Loved One
Everyone’s grief over a recently passed loved one affects them differently, but there are a few easy steps to start the process of hosting an estate sale. The first step is to choose a date and time that works best for you. Estate sales usually take place throughout the weekend.
The next step is to determine which payment methods you will accept and have the necessary change ready in advance. If you plan to accept e-payments, print out a sheet that includes your Venmo username and QR code. Additionally, consider purchasing a credit card reader that plugs into your phone to streamline the payment process.
Estate Sale Tips and Tricks: How To Have an Estate Sale
It may seem that hosting an estate sale only requires pricing items and opening the doors, but much more planning is involved. Staging the space, clearing the walkways, and having your items easily accessible helps buyers feel comfortable during their visit. Clearly written prices, labels, signs, and instructions significantly enhance customer experience by minimizing confusion as they navigate your items.
Hire an Estate Sale Organizer
Hiring a professional estate sale organizer can be beneficial if you need assistance planning and executing your estate sale. These experts can manage all aspects of the sale, including logistics, pricing, and customer service.
They typically offer various services, such as advertising, setting up the sale, managing inventory, and conducting the sale on the designated day. Research different companies and read reviews to select a reputable and experienced professional.
Taking Inventory and Pricing the Items
Once everything is sorted, categorized, and ready for pricing, create a detailed list of all the items you intend to sell. This will help make sure that nothing is overlooked in the process. Estate sale pricing considers numerous factors, such as condition and rarity, when assessing and evaluating the value of items like furniture, antiques, artwork, and collectibles.
You can research online by exploring platforms like eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and various online auctions. This will help you assess the value of specific items and understand how their condition impacts pricing. Hiring a professional appraiser can be beneficial for evaluating high-value and rare items. If you choose to work with an estate sale organizer or company, they can assist in pricing and determining a fair market value.
Estate Sale Advertising: How To Advertise an Estate Sale
You can use many tools to create an effective estate sale advertisement. Follow these steps:
- Create an online listing. Using EstateSales.net, EstateSales.org, or Facebook Marketplace, write a clear, easy-to-read description of the sale details and highlight valuable or rare items.
- Take high-quality photos. Capture clear images of key items in good lighting so customers can easily identify them when they visit.
- Post on social media. Share your listing on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok to increase its visibility online. You can also create an event on Facebook and invite friends and family to visit.
- Send reminders. Post regular updates, sneak peeks, and reminders on your social media before the sale to excite customers.
What To Do With the Leftover Items
When all is said and done, figuring out what to do with unsold leftover items can be just as challenging as the decision to sell them initially. It’s a good idea to reconnect with family members and see if there are any specific pieces they would like to keep.
You can hold a garage sale to sell the remaining items, list them online on Facebook Marketplace, or donate gently used items to a local charity or thrift store. If you hire an estate sale company for assistance, some companies provide post-sale cleanup services or help arrange donation pickups. Be sure to ask the organizer if they offer these services.
Manage an Estate Sale With Consideration and Care With Metro Self Storage
After your estate sale, you can quickly clean the home with a personal self storage unit from Metro Self Storage. Our climate-controlled storage units also provide a stable environment for your items until you’re ready to move them into your home or find another use for them, whether you have a few boxes of leftover books or large pieces of furniture. Locate a Metro Self Storage facility near you to store your loved one’s belongings with peace of mind following their passing.
Our storage units are budget-friendly, convenient with our online payment portal, and flexible with month-to-month lease termsment options. Call or contact us online for more details today.
