Estate Sale Question and Answers

An estate sale is an excellent way to sell and/or liquidate a family estate and personal belongings or dispose of unwanted and unneeded items when downsizing or relocating your home or business. The estate sale will be held in the home or business and the public will be given the opportunity to purchase any items priced for sale.

Common reasons for holding an estate sale may include the death of a loved one, divorce, downsizing or relocating a home or business, providing guidance to an Executor or Trustee of a Will, moving, relocation of a family member to a retirement community, nursing, or assisted living facility.

We sell Furniture, clothing, tools, appliances, jewelry, artwork, antiques, collectibles, garden equipment, vehicles and almost any household item.   We suggest that you do not donate anything prior to your estate sale consultation. Something that may seem like junk to you, is a treasure to someone else. 

Bulldog Estate Sales is paid a gross commission. That commission comes from items sold during your estate sale. We do not charge any upfront fees! We also do not charge you for any advertising fees or labor fees. Our commission fees are typically 30-40% and will be determined once we have had the chance to view the items inside the home. When we meet for the initial consultation, we are able to evaluate the time necessary to prep the home, the number of staff necessary to prep and facilitate the sale, and the number of staff needed for the sale. Based on the initial consultation, we can determine the commission. Please note that we may quote lower commissions( 10-20%) on specific items-e.g., motorcycles, high end automobiles, RV’s, and boats.

Before calling Bulldog Estate Sales, we suggest that you remove anything from the home or property that you want to keep. This will eliminate any confusion when our team meets with you during our examination and evaluation. 

If you are the personal representative of an estate, we will need to have a photocopy of the legal documents that authorize you to sell or dispose of the property. This information is often located within the will or is known as a “letter of testamentary”.

The estate is responsible for disconnecting the gas, electric, and water from any appliances which are to be sold. The furnace and air conditioner must be in working order before the set-up process and the water, gas, and electric must be turned on and kept on throughout the sale process. We do not need a phone line.

The typical estate sale will take place over a 2-3 day period. Depending on inventory, the estate sale could be as long as 4 days. Our team will consult with you on the best schedule and length of your estate sale. 

Our team will research and price your items competitively to ensure that they are priced to sell. Items will sell at full price on the first day and typically at a 25% discount on the second day and a 50% discount on the third day. 

Our team will handle your estate sales and items in your estate sale with compassion and professionalism. We do ask that all interested parties remain off site during the sale. There are often many emotions and stressful triggers that come with selling of items from you and your loved ones. We will send you a recap of your estate sale daily to keep you in the loop on how things are progressing. 

Bulldog Estate Sales sends a team to oversee your estate sale. Included in that are security specialists who check receipts upon exit from your estate sale. Small items are displayed on tables that will have a representative from our company stationed at them to ensure that all items are properly represented and accounted for. 

About 2-3 weeks prior to your estate sale we will begin our marketing efforts. This includes advertising to our registered buyers, advertising on social media, advertising on our website, advertising in your local area and advertising on numerous nationwide estate sale buyer websites. You do not pay anything for the advertising or marketing of your estate sale. 

Instead of leaving you trying to find a company to come and remove unsold items, unsellable items, debris, paint, etc... we offer a cleanout service. The service is like it sounds, we remove all contents of the home to help you get ready for listing. We remove all unsold items, unsellable items, debris, paint, mattresses, furniture and appliances as examples. When our clean out team is done, there is nothing left in the home. We will take unsalvagable items to the county dump and salvagable items to a local donation center. This is a post-sale service that is offered at an additional fee. Our rates are extremely competitive and payment is taken from the sale proceeds, so you do not have to pay out of pocket. Click Here to view a pdf file of these services. 

Yes! We are a true turnkey estate sale company. We offer several post-sale services including cleaning out all contents of the home and cleaning the home to get it ready for listing and photos. We offer whole house cleaning which includes getting everything clean and ready to present for your interested buyers. Click Here to see a list of what is involved in our cleaning services. 

You will receive a detailed sales report and payment within 7-10 business days after your estate sale.