How do estate sales work, and are they actually worth it?
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
An estate sale empties the house with dignity, and the check at the end is usually smaller than households expect. Both halves of that sentence matter.
On stage The 60-second answer
Captions on · Transcript below
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The longer answer
How it works: a company sorts, prices, and runs a one-to-three-day public sale at the house, typically keeping 30 to 40 percent of proceeds. Most have minimums — if the home doesn't hold enough sellable volume, they'll pass, and a buyout offer or consignment for select pieces makes more sense. Whatever doesn't sell gets donated or hauled, which good companies coordinate. The real product isn't the money. It's a house that's empty by Sunday night without your family carrying every object out themselves.
If you tell me what's in the house, I'll tell you which route fits — sale, buyout, or straight donation — and who I'd trust with it.
The next department over
What people in this spot usually ask next.
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- Senior transitionsCan I sell the house for my parent using power of attorney?Read the answer
- Senior transitionsDo we have to empty the house completely before we sell it?Read the answer
- Inheritance & probateI feel like I'm betraying my parents by selling their house.Read the answer
- Inheritance & probateMom was on Medical Assistance. Will the state take the house?Read the answer
From the editor's desk
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