Category Archives: Blog

Estate Sale Treasures – Do They Really Exist?

Unearthing items that haven’t been seen for decades…

Finding the most amazing pieces of history from a time gone by…

Never knowing what you are going to find…

These are facets of the industry that estate sale professionals thrive on. Handling hoarders’ homes, collectors’ homes, or estates that have sat for years, the estate professional will go in and hunt for these estate sale treasures to sell them for the family. Do these “treasures” really exist? Absolutely! While the cable shows will have you thinking there are treasures to be found in every nook and cranny, that is simply not the case. But then again, a treasure is in the eye of the beholder. Here’s a true story about an unexpected find.

In an old Victorian estate, the estate professionals found a small door inside a closet that had been filled to the brim. It was clear that this closet had remained undisturbed for decades. Once they were able to clear out the closet and swing this little door open, it revealed an entire other room that the heirs didn’t know even existed. Armed with proper lighting, gloves, and masks, they ventured into what felt like King Tut’s tomb.

Immediately, they saw items from the Civil War era — a drum, clothing, military items, lanterns, even a disassembled buggy. As they dug into some of the trunks, they found antique maps, letters, photographs, jewelry, clothing, firearms, etc., all from the 1830s to the turn of the 20th century. Did these estate sale treasures belong to the client who passed away? No one knows — unfortunately, that information died with them. Perhaps it belonged to the original owner, and when the family cleared out the home, they overlooked this little door that opened up into a large room. If this liquidator had not ventured to look in, those items would have remained forgotten, but instead, the estate sale treasures were gathered, cleaned of dust, and sold.

Many of these estate sale treasures are found every day, mostly because loved ones may have forgotten where they stashed jewelry, gold coins, etc., and never told the children where they can find them. Sometimes there are no heirs and it is left up to the estate sale professional to report back to the executor/trustee/admin any estate sale treasures they have found.

This story, and many others like it (like finding a $70,000.00 vase in a laundry basket the executor was getting ready to give away), are great examples of why finding a trustworthy estate sale company is paramount. Not every estate will contain such treasures, but finding professionals that you can rely on relieves the family of a huge burden. This is particularly important if the loved one was afflicted with memory impairment issues, as they can hide things in places you would not think to look unless you were a professional.

Finding estate sale treasures in one thing. Knowing what to do with them, and how to find the best and most relevant market to sell them, is another. Documenting what you find with photos and a description, reporting the find immediately to the decision-maker handling the estate, doing ‘due diligence’ with research, and enlisting the assistance of professionals who can help is how you handle the discovery of something you feel is significant. Being honest and ethical in all aspects of what is found is vital to the reputation of the estate sale company.

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Estate Clean Out Services – The Fastest Growing Trend in the Industry

After helping thousands of people settle their loved one’s estates, one glaring fact always stands out: we have way too much stuff. When dealing with an estate situation, many heirs realize just how overwhelming the process can be … peering into closets, cabinets, drawers, under beds, up in the attic or garage. They inevitably feel a pang of panic when they see just how much stuff has been accumulated over the course of a lifetime. Overstuffed homes have created a new industry: Professional Estate Clean Outs. Thank goodness for those who offer this service to their clients, because we are seeing a strong and rapidly moving trend for cleaning out estates.

The first thoughts among children left to handle a full estate are, “Where do I begin?” and “What comes next?” What they are looking for is someone who can offer a combination of services: estate sales plus a final estate cleanout, leaving the home empty so it can be sold and the children able to move forward. Many of them have full-time jobs, are caregivers, trying to juggle many demands in their lives, travel back and forth, etc. A large percentage of heirs are geographically remote from the location of the estate and may need to rely on trusted local resources: http://www.aselonline.com/find_asel_associates.html. Sometimes there may not be enough for an estate sale, and there are options for that as well. One can combine consignment and charity, auction and charity, or just a straight donation which may benefit the client in some cases.

Estate cleanouts are exceptionally challenging for those who do not know the process of disassembling an estate in the proper order. For those interested in learning how, please go to this link to add it to your menu of services: http://www.aselonline.com/professional_estate_clean_outs.html. The scope of work is grand and it is physically laborious. But with the right team and the right step-by-step instruction, this service has tremendous added value for your current business.

Your clients will most likely be baby-boomer children who would prefer to hire one professional to conduct multiple services if this is financially feasible for the family. Consider adding estate cleanout services to your current estate sale business. Together, they offer your client powerful resolutions to a challenging endeavor that lies ahead of them. When discussing these services with your clients, you can already see their faces relax, knowing someone can do this and it doesn’t have to be them.

The American Society of Estate Liquidators is a training, educational, and resource organization specializing in estate liquidation and is not affiliated or sanctioned by any governmental body. ASEL is not a policing organization and therefore liquidators are responsible for their own conduct and actions. While ASEL offers comprehensive guidelines for conduct and ethics in its training courses and materials, it does not guarantee the success of any business launched as a result of its courses. ASEL is not responsible for the conduct of an estate liquidator nor is it liable for the conduct of an estate liquidator who has taken classes, accessed resources, or is listed as an associate of ASEL. The ultimate success of an estate liquidator rests solely with the owner and business practices. All associates are certified based on information provided by the associate to ASEL.

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Village Cay Marina has played host to every variety of sailor and boat over the last 30 years, from the smallest sail boat to huge luxury motor yachts. Admittedly visitors to BVI waters have changed over time. In days past it used to be Sir Francis Drake, Blackbeard and Captain Kidd whereas now it’s the white chinoed yachting crowd and pina colada sipping business people that come to Tortola’s busiest marina and hotel.
Village Cay was built in 1974 to accommodate the burgeoning sailing industry in the British Virgin Islands. Constructed primarily as a marine facility, Village Cay has grown and expanded over the years to become a broad based service establishment that has been developed and renovated to appeal to the discriminating tastes of a more sophisticated guest, while retaining a casual Caribbean ambiance.
An added boon to the VCM business was the construction of the government administration building, which is literally a stone’s throw away and the focal point of the driving financial services industry. Invariably business people choose VCM because of its convenience and often partake in a little vacation while tending to business affairs. While business guests are a welcome and growing sector of the hotel’s revenues, it is the yachts that dominate the view from the open-air bar and restaurant and the spacious rooms that overlook the marina
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Apartment is defined as, a set of rooms which have all the facilities like a house. The major types of apartment are studio apartment, bedroom apartment, duplex, lofts, garden apartment. If I was asked where I would I prefer to live in a traditional house or in a modern apartment building, I think, I would hesitate to answer. This question, from my point of view, is a controversial one. In the following paragraphs I will analyze both these options and present my view.

It’s everyone’s dream to have a comfortable place to live. As the majority of people say, I want to get an attractive house someday, but unluckily it is not so easy to get because it is very costly. But there are several differences between owning a house and renting an apartment. The first difference is the noise. If you are renting an apartment and you are a noisy person, it is very painful for the rest of the people who live with you. For example if you are always playing melodic instruments, listening to loud music and cleaning the house with noisy machines you are really troubling the other people and I’m sure that you wouldn’t want to be in their place. But also, in a lot of cases the noise depends on if the owner permits it or not. In contrast, owning a house is more comfortable if you are a noisy person because you are the owner and responsible for all the things of your house and you don’t have to care of disturbing someone. For example, if you are the owner of the house you are free to even have a noisy party or whatever you want because it is your house. The second and most important difference for me is about the policy. When you live in an apartment, you have to comply with the owner’s policy. For example, you have to ask for him or her if you are free to have visitors, pets, parties, etc. On the other hand, when you rent an apartment, you are not as free as you are when you are the owner of a house to do whatever you want. In contrast, owning a house permits you to be free without caring that someone is dissatisfied with your ideas and decisions about your house. In this case you can paint your house, buy a big tape recorder or do all the things that you want. In conclusion, I prefer owning a house that is better than renting an apartment because I can be free to do whatever I want, without policy and it gives me more sovereignty and relieve.

From the one side, living in a modern apartment building brings many paybacks. First of all, it is cheaper than living in a traditional house and paying different kinds of fees I am not familiar with. For instance, my buddy, who recently bought a new house for his family, told me that it is much easier to live in an apartment and I tend to believe him when I see his bills. So, living in an apartment will definitely help me to save some money. Second of all, since I live alone, I do not need a big house with many rooms. I just need a bedroom and a living room where I can take my guests and have my work place. Another important benefit of living in an apartment is that I will not have to buy much weighty furniture in order to furnish all rooms.
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