Your clients will often need the help of an estate sale company. Finding the right company helps pass their loved one’s treasures to new owners in a respectful and well-organized way. By hiring a reputable estate sale company, the process can be less stressful, completed in a reasonable amount of time, and make a profit for the estate.

What are some red flags to watch for? Be sure the company is not bringing in outside items to sell. This is a huge red flag indicating that this may not be a professional estate sale company. Estate sale companies that bring in outside items will likely decrease the chances of emptying your client’s property, which is the goal of an estate sale.

Another potential liability is the possibility that with more stuff brought into the house, there is
an increased risk of someone getting injured at the sale. For example, imagine someone trips on
the power cord of a vintage lamp that was brought in, exposing the estate to a possible claim; or property damage that could occur, like scrape marks on the flooring from furniture which was moved in by the estate sale company from items that didn’t belong to the estate in the first place!

Be careful working with an estate sale company that offers the estate “free clean-up” with no strings attached. This is often where estate sale companies, mentioned earlier, gather outside items to sell. This means they are simply moving unsold items from one estate sale to another, and making
a higher profit by cutting the original owners and beneficiaries of those items. Instead, be sure that a buyout company or a charitable donation is listed in the contract as the final step for unsold items.