Estate Sales                             

Whether you are the executor of an estate, responsible for liquidation of the contents of a relative’s home, 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 experiences such as these.

Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services offers counsel in making these difficult choices of estate liquidation, and handling the sale of such items in a timely and dignified manner. There are several options when liquidating an estate. In some instances we will come in a purchase the entire estate so that you will not have to go through the difficulty of handling details of the liquidation. We also offer Estate Tag Sales, where we will hold a sale on location and price everything prior to the sale.

Some estates may include collections or items that require special handling, in which we will contact private buyers. We will make sure, through our contacts, and business experience, that we locate the best avenue 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, collectibles, antique automobiles, business management, 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 usually a difficult time. At Great Expectations Auction & Estate Services we strive to provide a complete service. Once you make the decision to liquidate, nothing more is required of you. We offer a complete range of services to include:

~ 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 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. What if we can not have an estate sale on the premises of my estate?

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.

7. 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.

8. 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 few days.

9. 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 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.