http://www.leonardestatesales.com
FREE CONSULTATION
All sales begin with a free consultation in order to learn your needs, answer questions and discuss details. I will come to the property, assess the situation, and tell you honestly and frankly what I believe your best options would be (including those in which we may not be involved). I'll work to bring clarity to what is often a confusing and
stressful situation. DON'T THROW ANYTHING AWAY! Resist the urge to clean and organize as the first step. It may seem the obvious and necessary, but it is a mistake too often made. It will cost you money and cause you much extra work. Have your free consultation first. We have found that families commonly dump or donate things that are sale-able, even valuable. The general order of business is:
1. Free consultation
2. Remove items that will stay with family members
3. Conduct the estate sale, and finally
4. If things remain they can be donated or discarded. One of the keys to a successful sale is to create a good buying atmosphere. That is tied directly to the quantity of merchandise...the more the better, even if some of it only acts as “filler”. FAMILY ITEMS
We will save all potentially important family items for the family, including financial records and documents, correspondence, photographs, personal mementos, etc. KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF
Knowledge leads to correct pricing. Having sold tens of thousands of items, we have a good idea of the fair market value of estate merchandise. We also have the ability and expertise to research when necessary, such as for art work, carpets and fine jewelry. During sales our friendly, knowledgeable staff will assist customers with any questions. They help with loading, moving and wrapping. Many of our sales staff have retail or antiques backgrounds. We take great pride in our staging of merchandise. We wash merchandise to be sold, polish silver and often set the table with family china. Furnishings may be moved to be shown to their best advantage. Tables will be set up to display items from cupboards and boxes. Often tents are set up outdoors. We make the sale an interesting and exciting event for the customers. It is our goal to create a positive buying environment. DO I NEED TO BE PRESENT BEFORE or DURING THE SALE? Quite the opposite. The family and their representatives should plan to be absent during the sale and the pre-sale set up. We have found it to be too emotional and unsettling for the family. It also makes it difficult for us to do our work and be comfortable. ADVERTISING
All of our sales are announced to our large email list of customers. One of our trademarks are large, distinctive ads in the local paper. We also use online listings, such as on Craig's List and other online sites, and street signage. Items benefiting from additional or specialized advertising will be given extra attention and may be advertised early. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CONDUCT A SALE? Set up and pricing can usually be done in two weeks, depending upon the size of the estate. Some very large estates have taken many weeks. The actual sale usually takes two to four days. We do our very best to work according to your needs and your time line. SECURITY
Customers are given numbers on a first-come-first-serve basis. When the sale opens, entry is by number, with a limited number allowed at any one time. We always have adequate staff to watch over the merchandise and the traffic. Locking cases are brought in to keep the small valuables and fine jewelry safeguarded. Curio cases may be brought in to show larger valuables. We find our high level of planning and organization leads to problem free sales. HOW MUCH WILL OUR SERVICE COST? We operate on a commission based on a percentage of the total sales. The percentage depends upon factors such as the quantity of salable merchandise, the amount of pre-sale work required, the number of staff required, etc. The exact charge can be determined during the free consultation. The estate is responsible for the first $100 of the advertising cost, which is deducted at the end of the sale. If necessary, hauling of trash, dump fees, etc., are additional and can be worked out in advance. We bear all other costs. CHECKS AND CREDIT CARDS
We accept credits cards for purchases. We also accept checks in some cases. We accept all responsibility for credit card charge-backs and bad checks. ACCOUNTING
We keep a written record of all sales and an itemized record for all sales over a certain minimum amount, usually $50. The accounting and full payment will go to the clients within 2-3 business days following the end of the sale. CAN THE FAMILY DO IT THEMSELVES? Trying to liquidate a family member’s estate can be overwhelming and costly. The most common mistake involves pricing. Through lack of experience, people will overprice some items and under-price others. In the end the overpriced items will be unsold and the money that would have been gained by selling them at the correct price will be lost. Items under-priced will sell right away and money will be lost by not charging the correct price. (Items being under-priced can, by far, represent the larger mistake of the two.) We have found that the family will end up with more money, even after the commission, by having it done professionally. Also, they will save themselves a tremendous amount of work, as that work will be done for them as part of the service for which they are paying. If you are already trying to do this yourself, my advise is...“Don't lift another finger...stop immediately and get a free consultation!”.
