Frequently Asked Questions About Estate Sales:
What is an estate sale?
An estate sale is a professionally managed sale of household belongings, typically held when an entire home or a significant portion of its contents needs to be sold.
When should I contact an estate sale company?
It's best to contact Restored Blessings as soon as you know an estate sale may be needed. Reaching out before you begin removing or selling large amounts of belongings allows us to evaluate the home and determine the best approach.
How do I know if an estate sale is right for me?
An estate sale may be a good option when you need to sell a substantial amount of household belongings rather than just a few individual items. If you don't have the time or energy to complete the preparation and execution of an estate sale, we are here!
What types of situations can require an estate sale?
Estate sales may be appropriate when handling a loved one's home, downsizing, preparing for a move, relocating, or dealing with a home where a significant amount of household contents needs to be sold.
How much does it cost to hire someone for an estate sale?
It varies with each estate sale company and it also varies on the amount of work that needs to be completed. Typically estate sale companies work on a commission scale that ranges from 40% - 60%. This percentage can be lowered when the total of the sale reaches a certain dollar amount. Some companies need to set a minimum fee to ensure they have what they need to pay their helpers. Usually your total and/or commission is decided upon during your consultation with the company.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Estate Sale Service:
What does Restored Blessings Do?
Restored Blessings manages the entire estate sale process, including preparing and organizing items, pricing, setting up the sale, managing shoppers and transactions, and wrapping up the sale.
We also offer our Clean-Out Service and our Downsizing Assistance Service.
What areas does Restored Blessings serve?
Restored Blessings primarily serves Clay County, Florida, including Middleburg, Orange Park, Green Cove Springs, Lake Asbury and Keystone Heights. If you're located nearby but aren't sure whether we serve your area, reach out and we'll be happy to discuss your location.
Do I have to price everything?
No. Restored Blessings manage the pricing process as part of preparing the estate sale.
Do I have to organize everything first?
No. Our team handles the organization and preparation needed to create an organized estate sale.
Do I have to be present during the estate sale?
No. Restored Blessings does ask for the family not to be present for the sale. This is typically an emotional event for the family and can be challenging with sale transactions as well.
Do I need to remove anything before contacting you?
No. We recommend contacting us before donating or throwing away anything! We will discuss any family responsibility during out consultation.
How long does an estate sale take?
The timeline varies depending on the size of the home, the amount of contents and the scope of preparation required. We'll discuss the expected timeline during your consultation.
Can you help if I don't live nearby?
Yes. Many of our sales have been with clients who are out of state. We can discuss your situation over the phone and determine how Restored Blessings can manage the estate sale locally.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Clean-Out Service:
What is included in your Clean-Out Service?
As an additional service we do offer a clean-out service. This includes removing all unsold items from the home, managing and scheduling dump run company and the cleaning crew. Cleaning crew cleans all counter tops, cleans outside of cabinets, cleans floors, showers, tubs, blinds and baseboards dusted, ceiling fans and garage dusted. Just like our Estate Sale Process, our goal in the Clean-Out Service is to mange the entire process, so you don't have to.
How much does the additional service costs?
This depends on the amount of work involved and how many dump runs are needed. Typically, this service starts at $600. There is no up-front cost in this service. We take the Clean-Out Service total out of the estate sale funds.
What happens with the unsold items?
This is usually decided upon during the consultation. Families typically choose to donate to a local charity organization. Our go-to's are BASCA and Habitat For Humanity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Downsizing Assistance Service:
What is your Downsizing Assistance Service?
As an additional service, our Downsizing Assistance Service is designed for homeowners who are reducing the contents of their home, typically because they are moving into a smaller home. Restored Blessings assists the family in the purging process. With a "keep" and "sell" pile mentality, out Assistance team helps to get the home ready for the estate sale team.
Who is the Downsizing Assistance Service for?
Our Downsizing Assistance Service is ideal for homeowners moving into a smaller home, families helping a parent downsize for assistant living, individuals or families preparing for a major move, or anyone who needs to significantly reduce the contents of a home.
Is this an organizing or decluttering service?
No. Restored Blessings is an estate sale company. Our Downsizing Assistance Service focuses on preparing and conducting an estate sale to reduce the contents of a home.
Do you help me decide what to keep?
While the "keep/sell" decision making in this process is that of the owner or family members, Restored Blessings is there to help, assist and encourage in the process to eventually move to the next step...the estate sale.