FAQs for Sellers

How do I choose the right estate sale company?
You only get once chance to make the right decision for your estate. Here are five simple rules for choosing the best company for you:

Should I throw anything out?
NO. Before we meet with you for a free consultation and planning session please throw NOTHING OUT. We advise clients to simply remove only items they are going to keep, or that have been willed or given to members of the family or friends. As part of our job, we sort through the entire contents of the house and if an item truly deserves to be thrown out, we will do it.

What services do you provide?
We do it all—organize, arrange, price, sell, and handle donation after the sale.

What happens if there are some items left unsold?
No estate sale company can promise to sell it all, but normally we sell out between 90-95% of the items offered for sale in a given estate. Depending on what is left, many of our clients choose to donate the remainder to one of the local charities. We will gladly arrange to have all donateable items picked up by a local charity for a tax deduction.

What kinds of items do you sell?
We love this question, because we sell it ALL (except for items like food and alcohol, which are prohibited by law). Furniture, clothing, tools, kitchen items and appliances, jewelry, art, cars, boats, antiques, collectibles, garden items, junk-you name it we can sell it. In any given estate sale we will offer a $1.00 item and a $50,000.00 item—and every increment in between—and we have a buyer for each. Sometimes our clients want us to do a demolition sale. In this setting, we are able to sell the wood floors, the windows and doors, the hot tub, the wood paneling, and yes—even the kitchen sink. There is almost nothing that we can’t sell, and this works well for our clients!

What does your service cost?
Margie Beegle Estate Sales, Inc. typically charges a selling commission of 35% of the gross sales. There are NO other charges, and we cover all of the advertising, security, and worker fees out of our commission. When you hire us to conduct your estate sale you are getting our many years of experience and expertise, our over 5000 loyal buyers, our knowledge that enables us to get top dollar for your items, our ability to run a smooth sale with our multi-tasking personnel, parking, security, all necessary supplies and equipment, advertising, bookkeeping and people skills—plus charity connections. Our past clients have found that we earn our commission, plus some!

How do we know that you are honest?
Margie Beegle Estate Sales, Inc. has established an outstanding reputation for honesty, integrity, professionalism, and service to our clients. We work for prestigious law firms, banks, real estate professionals, grandmas, sons and daughters and to each and every client we give our constant pledge of honesty and competency. We know that handing over the keys to your home is an enormous leap of faith and that is why we always provide our clients with an initial free consultation, a company portfolio that includes a long list of local references, and our promise of honesty and competency.

Can I attend the sale?
We have found that holding a special preview for family and friends before the sale is a much better option for loved ones. During this time you can admire the display, view the prices and ask any questions you may have, and say goodbye to the estate one last time without being surrounded by strangers. Our clients are welcome to attend the public sale of their estate as long as they keep a low profile and have a good time.

What do we do about clean up after the sale?
When the sale is over, generally any items left unsold are garage sale items or items of lesser desirability. The owner has the option to dispose or retain those items, or donate the items to charity. We work with a wonderful local charity that will come and box up what is not sold and take it away. They will take all items that they can sell in their charity consignment store and give the owners a tax-deductible receipt. In some cases, there may be a trash-hauling fee, but we will discuss this option with the owner and make sure that the solution is both easy and cost efficient.

How far in advance do I need to book an Estate Sale?
We are always ready to book your estate sale, and we have the flexibility to work around most scheduling issues. However, we love it when our clients book their sales in advance, and normally a 1-2 week notice is perfect.

When is a good time to have an Estate Sale?
Our customers attend estate sales ALL year round, so any month is a great time for a sale. We typically do not conduct sales on major holidays and December 20 through January 1 is not recommended. Estate sales are conducted indoors, so weather is not an issue. The best days for sales are Saturday and Sunday, with Friday being an additional option for especially large sales. Our customers LOVE estate sales, and the best time to have one is ALL THE TIME or ANYTIME!