Thinking About an Estate Sale? Read This Before You Start Cleaning Out the House.

If you're considering an estate sale, there's something we wish every family knew before they started preparing:

You probably have a lot less work to do than you think.

Really.

You don't need to clean out the cabinets. You don't need to organize the garage. You don't need to empty the pantry, sort the closets or bring everything down from the attic.

And unless something is truly garbage, please don't start throwing things away or making donation runs because you think you're helping us.

The best way to help us is to do less.

Take what you want. Leave the rest.

Your job is to decide what you and your family are keeping.

Take the furniture you want. Take your photographs, paperwork, sentimental things and personal belongings. Make sure you’ve removed anything you already know you want to keep.

Then let us handle what's left.

You don't need to organize it for us. You don't need to stage anything. You don't need to put like things together or decide what's worth selling.

That's our job.

Yes, people really buy that.

One of the biggest surprises for families is the incredible variety of things people buy at estate sales.

Furniture and artwork, yes.

But also clothes. Pantry goods. Medical equipment. Used Tupperware. Cleaning supplies. Tools. Half-used household products. Pet supplies. Office supplies. Holiday decorations. The microwave. The leftover garbage bags.

Seriously. People buy almost everything.

And all those little sales add up.

Just as importantly, a house with lots to discover attracts lots of different shoppers. One person may come for the furniture. Another comes for the garage. Someone else saw the kitchen, clothes, books, tools, hobby supplies or something wonderfully weird in one of our photos.

That's part of what makes an estate sale work.

More matters.

Families sometimes think they're helping by getting rid of the ordinary things and leaving us only the "good stuff."

Please don't.

A great estate sale isn't made up only of expensive things. Quantity matters too.

You know what matters to your family. We know what estate sale shoppers will buy.

Let us make that part of the decision.

If there's something you specifically want to give to a friend, family member or charity, of course you should. But if you're donating things simply because you don't think they're worth putting in an estate sale, let us see them first.

You might be surprised.

You don't have to prepare the house for us.

When Restless Mommas takes on an estate sale, sorting, organizing, staging, researching, pricing, photographing, advertising and running the sale are all part of what we do.

We'll open the cabinets.

We'll look in the closets.

We'll go through the garage.

We'll figure out the attic.

We'll sort through the everyday things along with the special ones.

And if we find family photographs, personal documents or something that looks like it may have been left behind accidentally, we'll set it aside and let you know.

You do not have to create an estate sale for us before we arrive.

That's what you're hiring us to do.

One thing we do need from you

Before we begin working in the home, you'll need to be moved out and finished removing the things you're keeping.

Once we begin preparing your sale, the house becomes our workspace. We'll be sorting, moving, staging and pricing throughout the home, so trying to live there while we're working doesn't work very well for you or for us.

So take care of your move.

Take the things you're keeping.

Then give us the keys and let us take it from there.

Still figuring out what you're going to do?

That's okay too.

You don't need to have chosen an estate sale company before this advice becomes useful.

If you're considering an estate sale, the best thing you can do while you're deciding is not to clear out the house first.

Let an experienced estate sale company see what you have before you decide what isn't worth selling.

And if you're talking with us, don't worry about getting the house ready for Restless Mommas.

You don't need to prepare the house for us. Just take what you want to keep and leave the rest. ❤️