{"id":2443,"date":"2018-12-04T16:17:20","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T23:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estatesales.org\/university\/?p=2443"},"modified":"2018-12-05T08:37:46","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T15:37:46","slug":"post-estate-sale-procedures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estatesales.org\/university\/post-estate-sale-procedures\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens After an Estate Sale? Post Estate Sale Procedures"},"content":{"rendered":"

With thousands of estate sales held on a weekly basis, one would wonder what happens after an estate sale?\u00a0 Where do the items go, and what estate sale procedures are generally followed by estate sale companies<\/a>?<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve reached out to our group of estate sale professionals to gather up as much information as we can to help you answer these common questions.<\/p>\n

Common Estate Sale Procedures<\/h2>\n

What happens before, during and after an estate sale can change depending on the estate sale itself.\u00a0 Some estate sale procedures will remain the same, but very often will change depending on the clients\u2019 requests.<\/p>\n

Those requests are agreed upon during an estate sale interview, and should always be documented in the estate sale contract<\/a>.\u00a0 A well written contract between the parties involved will insure no misunderstandings occur.<\/p>\n

Here are some common things that happen after an estate sale:<\/p>\n

End of Each Sale Day<\/h3>\n

Professional companies generally stage an estate sale.<\/a>\u00a0This means items are properly placed and displayed for potential buyers to purchase.<\/p>\n

Throughout the day and at the end of each day, the staff will often re-arrange the items and have them ready for the next group of buyers on the second, or third day of the sale.<\/p>\n

Depending on the geographical area, local jurisdictions may have estate sale sign restrictions.\u00a0 Estate sale companies must remove all their directional estate sale signs placed throughout the area, and put them back up for display again the next day.<\/p>\n

The fines for improper sign placement can be hefty.\u00a0 It would be wise to check with the local city for their particular rules on sign restrictions in order to handle the signage properly after each sale.<\/p>\n

Once everything is tidy and ready for the next day, the home is secured and locked up for the next sale day.<\/p>\n

The goal of every estate sale company is to minimize the number of items left at the end of each sale.<\/p>\n

By properly marketing their upcoming estate sale, they reach buyers to sell out the items, leaving them with less leftovers to get rid of.\u00a0 However, most sales will have items left over.\u00a0 It\u2019s not set in stone, some items left over are valuable, others not so much.<\/p>\n

Payment Procedures After an Estate Sale<\/h2>\n

In an unregulated industry, there\u2019s no specific number of days required for payout to the client, however clients do expect to get paid as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Depending on the method of payment accepted by estate sale companies<\/a>, the final pay-out time could vary.<\/p>\n

If a company only accepts cash payments, they will have final numbers quickly after the sale. For those that use merchant services and accept credit card payments at their sales, they will wait until all payments have cleared before calculating the final numbers.<\/p>\n

How the final payment is sent to the client will also vary depending on their geographical location.<\/p>\n

On many occasions, the client is in another state, sending a check by mail or wiring the funds are the best post estate sale payment procedures to follow.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re sending the final payment to a client via mail or by wiring the funds, use registered mail with signature confirmation, and always keep good record of the transactions in order to protect yourself from any liabilities.<\/p>\n

Itemized List of What Sold<\/h2>\n

Most estate sale companies will compile a list of items sold during the course of an estate sale near the cash register.\u00a0 This list along with the final numbers are sent to the client with their final pay out.<\/p>\n

Proper accounting can be done on a daily basis or at the end of the sale.\u00a0 Some companies will tally the sales, and items sold at the end of each day to ease the process, others will wait until the entire sale is complete, payments have cleared, and the home is cleaned out before they finalize all the numbers.<\/p>\n

In this industry, what works for you may not work for someone else.\u00a0 There are no set estate sale rules<\/a> to follow, however you will find that as you gain experience, you will set your own estate sale procedures to follow on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

Clearing the Home After an Estate Sale<\/h2>\n

As an estate sale professional, your goal is to empty the contents of the home by having them sold.<\/p>\n

Even if a company does everything it can to sell all the contents, there are always left-over items to dispose of at the end of the sale.<\/p>\n

During the estate sale interview with the client, left-over items should be discussed.\u00a0 Options given to the clients often involve:<\/p>\n