If you have a house you’re looking to empty, then an estate sale is a great way to make a good amount of money on household items you don’t need anymore. Unlike a garage sale, an estate sale is not a few things in your front yard, but rather the entirety of someone’s personal possessions. 

The kind of people who go to estate sales are the kind of people who are looking to buy a piano, or other expensive items that you probably wouldn’t find in a typical garage sale. And while you may have already hosted a garage sale before, the truth is that an estate sale can be much more complex. 

There’s a lot more planning required of you, and inventory to keep track of. So, if you hope to host a successful estate sale that attracts plenty of buyers and maximizes your amount of earnings, then look no further than these tips.

Organize In Advance

The earlier you can start planning your event, the smoother your event will be. You want to make sure that you start by taking inventory of everything that you hope to sell, and categorize them by type, as well as price. Ideally, you should have an organized spreadsheet to keep track of everything in different categories. The more you start creating categories in the beginning, the easier it will be to organize where you should display each item during the estate sale to ensure easy browsing.

Advertise

While the word of mouth is certainly helpful, you can’t expect it to do all of the work for you. It’s important that you advertise as much as possible to attract even more potential buyers. From online advertising, to printing flyers, a combination of both we’ll help you reach the broadest possible audience. There are even estate sale websites dedicated entirely to advertising your event to people who are specifically looking for estate sales in the area.

Price Properly

Correctly pricing your items is essential if you hope to maximize your earnings and also uphold fairness. Depending on the types of items that you plan on selling, you may even choose to hire an appraiser. A professional appraiser can help you with your valuable or rare items to ensure that they are priced appropriately. Even though an appraiser is an extra cost, it’s well worth it when you’re looking to get an idea of the highest possible price a buyer is likely to agree to.

Display Strategically

Your estate sale should be staged and displayed strategically so that everything looks clutter free and organized. Ultimately, you want to create an inviting shopping experience for your visitors that will encourage them to buy what you’re selling.

 It’s helpful to add price tags to everything on sale to avoid having to constantly look up prices on your spreadsheet. Lastly, if you really want to go the extra mile, consider providing guests with shopping baskets or bags to take their purchases home.