Whether you are the executor of an estate or you find it necessary to downsize your personal property due to retirement, relocation, divorce, or the combination of two households, you may be overwhelmed by the decisions you face. Many people do not realize the amount of work it takes to properly handle important life changing situations such as these.

Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services offers counsel in making these difficult decisions and handles the sale of your items in a timely and dignified manner. There are several options when liquidating an estate.We offer Estate Tag Sales, where we will hold a sale on location and price everything prior to the sale. We also offer Estate Auctions, where we hold the sale on location, and everything is sold to the highest bidder in an auction format. And in some instances when an on-site sale is not possible, we will come in and purchase the entire estate in a buyout. There are Pros & Cons to each of these options, and once we have reviewed your specific estate, and assessed your situation, we would be happy to discuss which option we feel will best fit your needs.

Some estates may include collections or items that require special handling, in which we will contact private buyers or liquidate them through one of our High End Online Auctions. We will make sure, through our contacts and experience that we locate the best venue to liquidate your items so that the maximum value is realized. We have a wonderful staff of professionals with years of experience in their areas of expertise ranging from antiques, jewelry, coins, art, automobiles, real estate, guns and firearms, and so much more.

Professional estate sale management with Great Expectations will save you time and money and also take a tremendous burden off you and your family at what is already a difficult time in your life. At Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services we strive to provide a complete full service. Once you make the decision to liquidate with us, we strive to make it as effortless as possible on your part. We offer a complete range of services to include:

PLEASE BE SURE TO ASK US ABOUT OUR PACKAGE DEALS WHEN LIQUIDATING BOTH REAL ESTATE AS WELL AS THE CONTENTS OF YOUR ESTATE FOR DISCOUNTED RATES !!!

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~ Fully Licensed Real Estate Brokerage to Sell your Property through a traditional listing or auction.
~ Handle the Shipping, Storing, and Moving of any items that family members decide to keep.
~ Appraise, research, clean, evaluate and prepare every item in the estate, so as to properly price the items.
~ Determine which items to put in the sale, and which items need to have special handling through other venues.
~ Merchandise and Display all items in an organized attractive manner.
~ Donate or properly dispose of all items that are not sold or wanted.
~ Make sure that the premises are left clean and to your satisfaction.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. What is the Difference Between an Estate Sale Company & an Auction Company?  

In the State of Florida, there is no licensing requirement for someone to open an Estate Sale Company, which means any felon can open an estate company and you are not protected in any way when doing business with them.  However, An Auction House goes through a very stringent licensing process similar to that of a Realtor.  This license protects you as a consumer to make certain that your assets are handled properly and with care.  Auctioneers are licensed, bonded, and insured, thus providing you with a much higher level of protection.  Please always check the licensing and insurance of any company that you intend to do business with when it comes to handling your most precious assets.  It is always safer to go with a licensed professional auctioneer when liquidating an estate whether you are looking for an Estate Sale or an Estate Auction.

  1. What do I need to do before calling Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services?

 

You do not need to do anything. We do not recommend disposing of anything in the household, because often times people do not realize the value of many items. We will be happy to take care of everything for you, even donating or properly disposing of unwanted, clothing, personal effects, cleaning supplies, chemicals, toiletries, and everything else.

  1. What about my family members that want items from the Estate?

We can help you to determine the most equitable way to distribute valuable items to family members and / or charities. We have a large network of service providers that we use and we will be happy to help you organize shipping, moving, and delivering of these items.

  1. Who will be there at the sale to secure my estate?

We have a large team of experienced and qualified individuals to supervise and assist the customers. We will decide prior to the sale how many people are needed for the event. We will make sure plenty of people are on staff to keep people out of restricted areas and to make sure all items are paid for.

  1. How will you price the items and keep track of them?

In most cases all items will be priced before the sale with a tag or sticker. We also keep an inventory sheet so that you know which items sold for what amount at the end of the sale.

  1. What about Collections that are very valuable and not suited for sale at an Estate Sale?

We have numerous industry contacts for private buyers and auctions that we will discuss with you prior to the sale and you will have the option to decide which venue you would prefer to use.

  1. What if we are not able to have an estate sale on the premises?

In some cases, where people are in communities that do not allow Estate Sales or if you simply prefer to not have the sale on your premises, there are a few other options. We can either purchase the estate outright, we can rent a local venue, such as a community hall, or we can hold an auction sale on our premises.

  1. What about advertising of the Sale?

We will handle the word of mouth and industry advertising, including our dealers, and customer lists. We will also distribute flyers to the appropriate venues and provide signage the day of the sale. You will be responsible for the cost of advertising in any local newspapers or publications, but we will be happy to handle the designing and ordering of these ads and recommending which publications would be best suited.

  1. What happens when the sale is over?

We will completely clean out the premises to your specifications and handle the remaining items. We will usually have a complete inventory and reconciliation sheet, along with your check within a week.

 

  1. What experience do you have working with Estates?

The team that I work with has over 85 years of combined experience working with antiques, art, collectibles and uniquities. We have handled numerous High Profile Estates and have vast experience handling Estates, Auctions, Business Liquidations, Real Estate Liquidation, Personal and Business Organization Management, and more. We will handle your estate as if it were our own and we will do our best to get you the highest fair market value for your items. At Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services, we strive to make sure we live up to our name.