Going, going, gone!

Are online sites, auctions or estate sales the best way to downsize?

Congratulations! You or a loved one has decided to downsize to a more manageable sized home or senior living community. It’s a big decision and one that usually takes a lot of consideration. Now, you have to figure out what you’re taking with you, what you want to give to family and friends, and what you might want to sell before senior moving specialists help you downsize your spaces.

Contact WayForth today for more information into how we can help with your downsizing service.

Selling your items is a big commitment, but you can get cash for your things. There are a lot of options out there, but this article will focus on three separate ways to get your possessions sold:

• Online sales
• Auction sales
• Estate sales

Each avenue has its pros and cons and gives you flexibility to choose what works for you and your circumstances.

Online sales

With computers in almost every home – and every pocket – online sales are a popular choice. From Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist to Next Door and Ebay, there are a variety of ways you can sell everything from furniture to clothing.

Most online sites don’t take any commission and you can get cash quickly if your item sells, but you have to do the work. That includes posting your items with photos and a description, setting a price and dealing with questions from interested buyers. This takes some time and you should be cautious about who you are meeting if you agree to sell something to a stranger. Choosing a public place or taking a friend along is a good rule of thumb for safety. In addition, make sure you understand the guidelines that the selling website outlines.

Auction sales

Auctions sales are an easy way for someone else to do the work for you. You can choose to have an auctioneer come to your home and hold a sale on your property if you have enough possessions. At home auctions let people bid on pieces for certain prices and the competition can get exciting. Another way to auction your items is to have the auction company take an inventory, snap photos and use their online auction house to sell things over the Internet.

When you’re working with a professional auction house, you may be surprised at the prices they assign to certain pieces and wonder if you could have sold them for the same price. The advantage to using an auction house is that they have experience with what is popular and sells well. Plus, people follow certain auction houses which can bring an automatic audience for the sale.

Make sure you understand that most auction houses have minimum volume requirements for a sale of estate property, and the auctioneer can take as much as 40-50% of the cut. In our experience, auctions tend to get a much higher price for items than you could get by yourself, so the higher sales may help to offset the commission. If you are ready to work with an auction house or want to research a credible option, check out MaxSold, a reliable partner WayForth has worked with.

Estate sales

Estate sales are a way to clear almost everything out of a home. Typically, estate sales are used when someone needs to move out quickly or after a death of the homeowner.

Hiring an estate sale professional is a good way to get started. They will have the knowledge and experience to market the sale and organize the contents. They can also deal with the public and money, so you don’t have that responsibility.

Shoppers at an estate sale are usually allowed to walk through the home and see the contents and prices. If they see something they want, they alert the organizer and complete the transaction. Sometimes estate sales can go on for a couple of days, depending on the number of pieces and the location.

Estate sale professionals can charge you several different ways such as one price for the entire sale or a portion of the proceeds. Make sure you understand all the terms upfront and look for someone who is bonded and insured since people will be on your property.

Specialty items

If you have art, collectibles, coins, jewelry or sports memorabilia, it might be worth your time to do some research to sell these items. There may be collectors or specialists who can help you find the right buyer for your precious items. You can also use Ebay as a way to price some of your things. Often what you think is a collectible may end up having very little value on the open market, but it’s always worth looking into!

WayForth can help you or a family member with our comprehensive moving solutions including downsizing, space planning, packing and moving, and unpacking, and settling in your set-up in a new home , contact our moving professionals today at 1.844.WAYFORTH.