14 Expert Estates Promises

A good buyer beware article on estate sales from Market Watch. If you need an estate sale, be careful who you hire. Excerpt:

There are roughly 14,000 estate liquidators in the country, according to Julie Hall, an appraiser and estate expert in Charlotte, N.C., and the executive director of the American Society of Estate Liquidators. Members of that organization must meet certain education or experience requirements and abide by a code of ethics. But most liquidators have no formal training, Hall says. Anyone can set up shop as an estate seller, and plenty of folks who lost their jobs in the recession did just that, she notes.

At Expert Estates, your interests are protected and we promise that:

• We are members of the American Society of Estate Liquidators and the BBB.
• We are owned by a CAGA Certified Personal Property Appraiser.
• We work with other appraisers to value anything in the estate that falls outside of our expertise.
• We work with auction houses for items that are best sold in that venue.
• We are licensed, bonded and insured.
• Even after our commission, most families do best if they use our services. Families don't know the value of their own things, missing even just a few special items can cost a family thousands of dollars. We have dealers and special collectors on our customer lists, and our loyal customers come from all over the region. Our estate sale shoppers are not just curious friends and neighbors.
• We use a sealed bid system when we have something with multiple potential buyers, we have seen sealed bids bring in even more than bids at a live or online auctions since the bidder reveals the most they are willing to pay. We have had sealed bids that brought $500 more than the runner up offered.
• We always provide a clear contract and go over exactly what it says with you.
• Your secrets are safe with us, we always disclose hidden treasures we find and we always protect the privacy of our clients.
• We keep jewelry and high end items secure; we hire security for big sales.
• We are not "snagging" your stuff. At the end of your sale, we will broker and consign special items to get them sold for you. They are your things, not ours. We don't have an automatic buyout clause in our contract, nor do we secretly cart off your leftovers for our inventory.
• Our staff is not compensated with your property. And we also don't allow staff to buy before the public, ensuring that our staff is not just working to get the best items out of your estate before anyone else.
• We can clean out the house for you if you want us to, and we will get smaller unsold items donated to charity for you. We provide an itemized tax receipt for your records.
• We do cover the topic of estate owners being at our sales in our contract. Working with us means that everything is clear from the beginning.

At Expert Estates, we tell! You can read the full article from MarketWatch here:

10 things estate sales won’t tell you - 10 things - MarketWatch.

We are proud to have addressed the coverage gaps that clients experience with other estate sellers. If you know anyone who needs an estate sale or appraisal, share this with them. Contact us at 661-474-7201 for a consultation.