 itchen SOS: Make More Space June’s all about graduates, grooms, and brides, right? Yes, but it’s also known for food celebrations like National Doughnut and Onion Rings Day. It’s no wonder that such “holidays” bring to mind the center of every home—the kitchen. It’s where you cook up comfort for family and catch up over cocktails with friends. However, it’s no fun to cook in a chaotic kitchen, and it’s challenging to clean. With all the year-round activity that takes place there, it might be time to give it some TLC. BHM has just the recipe to help you restore order to the heart of your home. Boasting 10 years+ years of experience, our organizing team shares four easy steps to prep your kitchen for summer entertaining. 1. Divide -- Tackle the kitchen in segments, e.g., food prep, cooking, service, and storage. Start in one zone, working clockwise until you come full circle. “Take 15” after completing an area. That way, you’ll save energy, stay motivated, and see your progress in the making. 2. Purge -Remove everything shelf by shelf, cabinet by cabinet. Rid yourself of anything that has expired, isn’t wanted, or doesn’t function. This includes small appliances, old cookbooks, and mismatched Tupperware. Sort them into three piles: keep, discard, donate. Throw out any expired food products, including spices. 3. Categorize - Place all like items together, e.g., food with food, pots with pans, napkins with paper towels, etc. Arrange canned and boxed goods in your cabinets/shelves the same way they’re displayed on store shelves. This setup allows you to find what you need quickly and take stock of what’s running low. Put the boxes/cans that will expire soonest up front. If you have the space, we always recommend getting a can organizer as that will allow you to easily take the bottom one (the one with the date that will expire soonest).  4. Conquer the Clutter - Leave food prep and serving stations free and clear; remove all small appliances and miscellaneous items. Set aside a space for your top three kitchen aids to reside, and put everything else in a designated cabinet.
Enjoy.
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 This photo, provided by Sotheby’s, in New York, on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, shows a small porcelain bowl bought for $35 at a Connecticut yard sale that turned out to be a rare, 15th century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 and $500,000. The bowl will be offered in Sotheby’s Auction of Important Chinese Art, in New York, on March 17. (Sotheby’s via AP)  Dave Collins/AP Posted:Updated: MAR 3, 2021 / 04:06 AM CST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Talk about your yard sale finds. A small porcelain bowl bought for $35 at a Connecticut yard sale turned out to be a rare, 15th century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 and $500,000 that is about to go up for auction at Sotheby’s. The white bowl adorned with cobalt blue paintings of flowers and other designs is about 6 inches in diameter. An antiques enthusiast came across the piece and thought it could be something special when browsing a yard sale in the New Haven area last year, according to Sotheby’s. The piece, one of only seven such bowls known to exist in the world, will be up for auction in New York on March 17 as part of Sotheby’s Auction of Important Chinese Art. The buyer, whom is not being named, paid the $35 asking price and later emailed information and photos to Sotheby’s asking for an evaluation. The auction house’s experts on Chinese ceramics and art, Angela McAteer and Hang Yin, get many such emails every week, but this was one of the kind they dream about. “It was immediately apparent to both of us that we were looking at something really very, very special,” said McAteer, Sotheby’s senior vice president and head of its Chinese Works of Art Department. “The style of painting, the shape of the bowl, even just the color of the blue is quite characteristic of that early, early 15th century period of porcelain.” They confirmed it was from the 1400s when they were able to look at it in person. There are no scientific tests, only the trained eyes and hands of specialists. The bowl was very smooth to the touch, its glaze was silky and the color and designs are distinctive of the period. The bowl will be offered in Sotheby’s Auction of Important Chinese Art, in New York, on March 17. (Sotheby’s via AP)“All the characteristics and hallmarks are there that identify it as a product of the early Ming period,” McAteer said. McAteer and Yin determined the bowl dates back to the early 1400s during the reign of the Yongle emperor, the third ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and was made for the Yongle court. The Yongle court was known to have ushered in a new style to the porcelain kilns in the city of Jingdezhen, and the bowl is a quintessential Yongle product, according to Sotheby’s. The bowl was made in the shape of a lotus bud or chicken heart. Inside, it is decorated with a medallion at the bottom and a quatrefoil motif surrounded by flowers. The outside includes four blossoms of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate flower. There are also intricate patterns at the top of both the outside and inside. McAteer said only six other such bowls are known to exist, and most of them are in museums. No others are in the United States. There are two at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, two at museums in London and one in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, according to Sotheby’s. How the bowl ended up at a Connecticut yard sale remains a mystery. McAteer said it’s possible it was passed down through generations of the same family who did not know how unique it was. “It’s always quite astounding to think that it kind of still happens, that these treasures can be discovered,” McAteer said. “It’s always really exciting for us as specialists when something we didn’t even know existed here appears seemingly out of nowhere.” Trademark and Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.  Many times, when my company is called upon to stage a home for sale, I sit down with the client and explain to them I have one goal and one goal only - to get their home to appear twice as large and to have twice as much sunlight. I explain that I'm not an interior designer and that I'll be moving things around so that they should not be offended by my design choices. It's not about family living, it's about square footage!
100% of the homes my company has worked on has had to have furniture moved around, given away, junked, or placed in a garage for the move to the clients next home. This is totally normal. Some folks resist the changes I make and others let me do my magic. I once worked on a home that had been on the market for a year with no bites. I had been brought in to do the estate sale but during the course of our conservation about the estate sale, my client asked what I thought about the staging as he was dismayed the house had not sold yet. I told him exactly what I would do and how quickly I could do it and the next thing I know, I not only got the staging job I got the estate sale gig as well. That house took us maybe 3 days to get it all done and the brokers (there were two of them) decided the house looked so different from when they originally took pictures to sell it that they would bring in a photographer again and take new pictures. With the new pictures emphasizing the square footage in the home and the removal of the heavy window dressing showcased the amount of sunlight that the home gets, the house was under contract within a week after we finished staging. What's my favorite thing about staging --- it's the dressing up part I adore the most. I love dressing a fireplace, a bookcase, a piece of furniture. I love how I can dramatically change how something looks just by changing the items on it. When my company stages we go thru the cabinets as many folks forget what they have in them and almost always we find the greatest pieces that look wonderful when displayed properly. Most stagers use their own furniture and home décor. They make their money by bringing items in from their warehouse. They then charge the client for the "rental" of the item per week/month. On average a room that has to be staged for a minimum time of 2-3 months can cost $1,500 or more. If you have to stage a whole house that is a lot of money. It's not unreasonable for a whole house staging for it to cost well past $10,000. We don't bring in anything from the outside. It's all from what the client already has in their home. If you have a home that need's staging feel free to contact us at info@bhmestatesales.com! Most homes take an average of a week to get staged so it's a fairly quick process. Stay tuned for our next blog.... We know many folks find the idea of getting their house ready for sale daunting. So many of us just don't no where to start.
First off, I highly recommend that if you plan to sell in the next 3-6 months that you start the process now. It takes quite a bit of time to go thru every drawer, every cabinet, the attic, the basement and the garage. It's an exhausting process. If you don't have time on your side, getting your home on the market should include the assistance of a professional organizer and stager. This is the fastest, most efficient way to get your house on the market. If you are energized and have time on your side, we recommend the following: 1. Start cleaning out your home 3 months prior to putting your home on the market. 2. Assign yourself and the members of your family to go thru their own bedrooms and give them deadlines of no more than 2 weeks. 3. After 2-3 weeks you should be ready to tackle the dining room, living room, den, sunroom, kitchen. Assign yourself a room every 2-3 days. That will give you 3 days to complete the cleanout of the room. You should have several empty boxes of which you sort your belongings - use these categories (charity donation, give to family member, junk removal, move to new home, estate sale). That last box is only needed if you plan to have an estate sale which is done only after you have a firmly signed contract on your home and usually done after you've moved or if you are staying in the home till the very end the estate sale happens a week or two prior to your closing date. 4. Start with the easiest rooms first as that way, you will slowly establish a good decluttering rhythm by the time you hit the hard rooms, like the basement, the attic and the garage. 5. By week 6, you should already be hitting these harder spaces which will likely take you a good week or two to clean out each space, thereby bringing you to the 3 month mark which will be right around the time your realtor will want to list your home. If you are not able to do all this work on your home or don't have family and friends to help you, then by all means hire someone to help you. It's worth every penny, and most organizers/stagers can get your house ready in less than 2 weeks time. BHM is one of a rare few companies that provide all the needed services to get your home on the market quickly. We do everything from Organizing, Decluttering, Staging, Estate Sales and Charity Cleanout. We cover the same towns that we would cover for our estate sale division so please call us if we can be of service PH: 646-823-5231. Great article by Julie Hall, Director of ASEL. I have been a member of ASEL for several years now. It's truly the only association that does its due diligence in verifying and certifying liquidators. Please enjoy this well written article! Why Choosing an Estate Sale Company Based on a Low Commission Can Cost a Fortune
When it comes to the outlay of money, everyone wants the best deal they can find. That’s just good business sense. It stops making sense when people make quick decisions to go with the “cheapest” because it can often backfire costing much more to correct the situation, if the situation is even correctable. Hiring the right professional estate liquidator is of vital importance. The emphasis in this article is on the word professional. This estate sale professional is someone who has dedicated much time, care, concern, diligence, devotion, education, research, (plus so much more) into the skills required to conduct a successful estate sale for their clients. This professional works countless hours and endures many sleepless nights, constantly learning and navigating an ever-changing industry and dealing with an increasingly difficult public of buyers. Conducting an estate sale is not just about organizing and displaying, nor is it as easy as it appears. It requires patience, due diligence, long hours of research, outstanding customer relations skills, knowing the right resources, and the ability to wear many different hats on any given day. True professionals do it well and make it look easy, even though it is actually very challenging. Therein lies the mark of a true professional. Estate Sale Professionals earn their commission because they take the time to understand the personal property and maximize the sale proceeds by implementing a methodical plan to succeed for the client. Knowing this, why would anyone select an estate sale company that undercuts or offers a low-ball commission without understanding all the details of the estate? This industry is inundated with pop-up or fly-by-night companies that appear out of nowhere. While there are exceptions to every rule, we often see the following:
Will they:
Pop-up companies may leave the un-sold remainder for the client to contend with. By then, contacting a professional is too late as the damage is done. The best items will have been sold and the sale proceeds were not maximized. These companies may offer a low commission but there could be many more individual service charges that add up to more than the professional’s original (higher) commission. The client should have a clear understanding of what the commission includes and what other fees will be involved before signing a contract.
©2020 The American Society of Estate Liquidators® LLC. All rights reserved. None of this article may be reproduced, copied or distributed in any form, in whole or part, without attribution and the permission of ASEL®. Julie Hall, Director of ASEL The American Society of Estate Liquidators, LLC www.ASELonline.com 704-543-1051  Time is Money – Calculating the Time to Sell One Estate Item (courtesy of https://www.executorium.com/blog/)
October 10, 2020 There are many ways to sell an item, and convert the item to cash for deposit in the Estate Bank account. Often Executors bristle at the cost or commission of Auctions or Estate Sales companies, but the value is not often obvious until you look at the time it takes to move 1 item. Multiply those ‘manhours’ that times the number of items in the undistributed personalty designated for liquidation, and the value becomes clear. Research Spend time looking at comp items to get an idea of the price to list the item . EBay, Google, Facebook Groups all provide good information to help determine price and desirability. Cleaning To give your item the best change of selling, for the best possible price, prepare the item by cleaning in order to present in the best possible light. scene on a flea marketListing Note: there may be some seller’s fees associated with listing an item for sale online.
Sold Once your item is sold, consider time for packaging the item as necessary considering its fragility. Consider the time and expense of the post office visit. Do you have the proper packaging, or will that require additional time and money to acquire? Packing and addressing time varies depending on the item. If professional shipping prep is necessary, consider the cost of the professional work and travel to and from the professional pack and ship location. Collection Collection is normally straightforward on e-mail and other online selling platforms; however, collection and conclusion of the transaction might be considered in your time calculation. The incremental time of each stage in the selling process might seem like “not much”, but when you put it all together, the full amount of time can put a serious dent in your monetary “take-away”. Your time is not free. Booking an estate liquidator at the last minute has always been a problem in the liquidation business. Folks are selling their homes in record times and buyers are expecting them to vacate in a month instead of the normal 3 month time.
This can be problematic as many of the top liquidators are already booked sometimes as much as 4 months ahead. The setting up a proper estate sale and marketing it correctly can take at least 4 weeks but in some cases even as much as 8 weeks, so when a client calls you and they give a closing date of less than a month away there is great hesitation to take on the sale. A good liquidator will know that a set up can take many hours and when rushed important pricing details and research can be missed. When folks are looking for a last minute liquidator they are generally left with those liquidators who do less prep - which means less items researched and prices. Those companies that doe 3-4 sales a weekend usually are the ones that do little to no prep. These sales are generally referred to in the industry as picker sales. A picker sale is where customers rummage thru the home and bring the item(s) to the cashier table to get pricing on the item. The sales manager or cashier just throws out a number. This method of pulling prices out of your head can go very wrong as it's impossible to have the time to properly look over the item, research market stats and deal with what will likely be a generally long line. Most folks contemplate the sale of their home a year or two head. That is good you should be thinking about it that far ahead as there is much to do in order to get your house ready. The first thing you should do is get an idea of where you are moving to and if and what you plan to take with you to your next home. Some folks already have a finished home they are moving to so they don't need to take much with them. Some folks truly don't know but have a sense of what they want to bring with them. If you truly don't know where you are moving, how much square footage you will have then start looking at the types of places you are thinking of moving to as it will give you a sense of what and how much space you'll have to fill up. Many folks want to change their home style completely so usually the contents of the home they lived in for a long time likely won't fit their new style. Another thing to think about is do your relatives want any of the items in your home. This is very important to do this a good year ahead as we all know how slow folks are with picking items up. I have seen some clients in such distress as they have tried for a full year to get their children and other relatives to pick up the items they wanted. Unless it's a piece you desperately need, like the couch you sit on every day, I suggest getting rid of the item as soon as the relative is willing to take if off your hands. It's also wise to give all relatives, including your children a deadline for picking the items up. The next step is to start ridding your home of unneeded, old paperwork - it's a tedious task and one that can take a lot of time so the sooner you do this the better. I also recommend getting rid of any broken, damaged furniture. Very rarely does broken furniture sell and it looks terrible when you are staging your home. Get to know the rules in your town about discarding household items. Some towns are great where they do waste pickup weekly, but some towns don't offer this service and you have to pay someone to remove your household junk. I recommend getting to know your local junk haulers and make sure they are licensed. Junk haulers are NOT cheap and can cost in the thousands so you want to ensure you are using a legitimate company. The final step which should be done 6 months ahead - start interviewing realtors AND estate liquidators. A good and respected liquidator is usually booked a month or two (or even more) ahead. The reason I say start early is that you want to meet with at least 3 liquidators to give you a sense of how the different companies work. Some folks solely focus on the cheapest commissions, but remember a few things when a company has such a low commission they are doing one of two things: 1. do little to no advertising, prep or using the proper amount of labor at your sale 2. hitting you with fee's for every little thing, like advertising, labor fees, cleanout fees. Finally, read the person's contract all the way thru. Ask questions, and do meet with at least 3 liquidators to compare service models. So what is the moral of the story....the moral of the story is to NOT wait till you are 2 weeks from closing on your home. Do your planning early. Here are few steps to know about when shopping at a public estate sale: 1. Wear your mask! You should never shop at a sale if they don't enforce wearing masks. 2. Wear gloves as you will likely be handling a number of items - as are others. 3. Be patient. The law states we can only allow in a certain number of a folks at a time, and that includes the estate sale staff so if you are in a hurry we suggest arriving at the end of the day when the sale is closing in 1/2 hour as there likely won't be a line. 4. Have compassion and be kind to the estate sale staff they are sitting in what is sometimes barely air conditioned air for 8 hrs at a time. 5. Shop online - many estate sale companies have moved to auction platforms so enjoy the shopping experience without any of the risks involved in an in person sale. 6. Most importantly, do not come to the sale if you are feeling sick. Stay safe - we can't wait to see you all again sans masks - hopefully in early 2021!  We thought it would be fun if we did mini-history lessons on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/bhmhomeandestate/ on some of the most sought after items we sell at our estate sales.
We have done a bunch so far: Judith Leiber swarovski encrused purses, Eero Saarinen and his famous Tulip Chair, Hummels and their folkloric appearance, the many varieties of rugs, McCoy Pottery and so many others. Each day we are trying to do one or two posts on a different collectible item. If you want to hear about a particular topic or learn about an items history just email us and we'll do all the research! Stay safe and stay healthy! BHM is temporarily closed - our hearts are with people around the world who have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. To do our part to stop the spread of the virus, we have temporarily closed down all of our liquidation services. We are now offering Virtual Organizing and Virtual Appraisal services only. We thank you for visiting our site and hope and pray we will once again be able to conduct our estate liquidations. Starting next week, we’ll be giving away a home decor item till the end of May. We’ll ask a question and the first person to answer correctly will win. All entries must be of someone that has liked our Instagram page! In order to join in on the contest you must Like us on Instagram so be sure to click on this link and like our page. https://www.instagram.com/bhmhomeandestate/ We will post the question and what item is up for grabs for that week. Stay tuned! Stay healthy and stay home! Jill Mendelsohn Owner, BHM Home and Estate I'm reposting a blog I wrote several years ago about hiring a liquidator as it's still a very important topic. Happy New Year and see you at our next sale!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dated 6/28/16 There are so so many estate sellers out there, but they are not all the same. Estate sale liquidation is not a licensed industry so you can get a wide variety of liquidators offering their services. Many folks go right away to the less expensive companies and spend no time comparing the services that each company offers. That is a big mistake. There are big variances and as the client you should look carefully at the fine print and the list of services and types of sales the company specializes in. Below is my Top Ten List of What to Ask an Estate Seller when interviewing them to run your estate liquidation sale: 1. How many years in business have you been doing sales? Having 30+ years in business may make you a formidable candidate, but this same person may not be updated on all of the new ways to promote a sale - they may not be social media savvy. It takes a lot of work to keep modernizing operations - someone who may be at the tail end of their work life may not want to spend the time nor money upgrading their services. So don't discount a newer company as they are likely more eager to please. 2. How many people would you assign to work in my home during the actual sale? The answer would depend on size of house, how many items are for sale and what types of items are for sale. Ahouse full of high end luxury clothing or small items like jewelry need's extra staffing and possibly a security detail manning the door. If someone tells you 3-4 ppl and you have a home 3,000 square feet and up I"d be concerned that the company is not providing enough staff to have oversight in all the areas of the home. I've heard from many customers that they went to a large home and there were only 2 ppl running the sale. It's common practice that the lower end companies tend to use minimal staff to run their sales. That is the only way they can charge the smaller commission fees. With less staff, you have less people on the floor selling your items and it's also more likely something will get stolen. How can 2-3 people be everywhere in a large home - the fact is they can't. 3. Are you insured - can I see your insurance certificate (to prove insurance and the liability limits). Stay away from a company that cannot provide you with an insurance certificate. Also, make sure the company is registered with the state. There are no licensing requirements for estate liquidators, but if they are a legit company they would have to be registered with the state. 4. Do you have a website? A company that is willing to spend money to have a web presence is a company who is not going to run off with your proceeds. It's a company who plans to be around for a while. Running a website and keeping it fresh and updated costs money. If the liquidators website looks rundown and dated that is likely what your sale will look. 5. Are your staff trained to sell or are they just there to make sure nothing is stolen. My theory is the more trained staff on the floor, the more people that are there to sell the contents of the sale. If staff is just there to ensure no one steals no one is really overseeing the selling process. 6. What day's and times do you run your sales? 7. Do you price every item? How do you conduct your research and what items do you look up? 8. How do you stage the items? There is a BIG difference to the way a sale is staged. Just look at pictures of current sales. Some companies spend a lot of time on prepping and some don't. Customer's generally like a fully staged home as they find it easier to find items and when contents are displayed properly they are more appealing to the buyer. 9. Do you have references/testimonials? There are many ways to check up on a company. See if they have testimonials on their website, reviews on Google/Angie's List/Square/Yelp. What is their rating with Better Business Bureau? 10. Most importantly - do you connect with the person? Does this person make you feel comfortable as you'll be handing over your keys and all of your belongings and trusting them to sell your household contents. Even with testimonials - your gut instinct is the one you should listen to the most! If you go thru the above list you will most certainly hire the right company for your sale. Every home is different so you have to ask yourself, do you care how many people are working your sale, do you care if security is provided, do you care if the sale is staged properly. Are you willing to pay a bit more in commission to have the sale done in a professional manner? Maybe it doesn't matter to you. There are so many choices out there so be sure to interview 2 to 4 companies in order to find the right estate liquidator for your needs.  Originally Published by Mike Wehner, BGR
September 5, 2019
The vase is in incredible condition considering its age and it was originally made for an 18th-century Chinese emperor who reigned between 1735 and 1796. Now, centuries later, it somehow found its way to the shelves of a charity shop. High-end auction house Sworders will now handle the selling of the piece and it’s expected to fetch a minimum of £50,000 ($61,600) and perhaps as much as £80,000 ($98,700) when it goes up for sale on November 8th. The item description from Sworders reads as follows: The 8in (19cm) high pear-shaped wall pocket with ruyi handles and a yellow ‘sgraffito’ ground is inscribed with a poem praising incense alongside a yuti mark and two iron-red seal marks reading Qianlong chen han (‘the Qianlong Emperor’s own mark’) and Weijing weiyi (be precise, be undivided). It’s a major win for the lucky owner and it will surely make a lovely addition to someone’s fancy art collection. You probably won’t have the same luck, but maybe it’s worth a trip to a nearby thrift shop just to be sure. Here is a great article written by an expert estate sale shopper. Please read thru as this article is a great resource for all estate sale shoppers.
By Kentin Waits Exploring estate sales has been one of my favorite summertime activities for more than 20 years. For this professional picker, roaming through old houses with the possibility of hidden treasure around every corner is a thrill like no other. But in a world of big-box stores and online shopping, navigating the unique world of estate sales is practically a lost art. So, here is my best advice to help novice estate sale shoppers buy better and enjoy the experience more: 1. Know what to buy - estate sales can be exciting. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and make a few buying blunders. Remember, not every deal at an estate sale is a good deal. Before you head out the door, check out my article “7 Things I Always Buy at Estate Sales” and research prices on specific items you’re looking for. To avoid buyer’s remorse, ask yourself two clarifying questions before buying anything:
2. Arrive early - well-advertised sales can be competitive affairs. Arrive early on the first day of the sale, claim your spot in line and savor the anticipation. Don’t be afraid to strike up a friendly conversation with other early birds. They often have the inside scoop on upcoming sales and can even keep an eye out for items you’re looking for once the doors open. 3. Chill out - while it’s smart to be early, don’t get ahead of yourself. Some aggressive shoppers try to pressure organizers into making early sales — sometimes knocking on their doors the night before the event begins. This sort of tactic is never successful and always offensive. Relax. You’ll miss some bargains; you’ll get some bargains. It’s a dance, not a race. 4. Travel light - Don’t arrive at an estate sale carrying a large purse, tote bag or backpack. It’s nearly impossible for sale organizers to monitor the entire home, and big bags only arouse suspicion. Bags and boxes are usually available on site for buyers who purchase multiple items. 5. Take cash. It’s the question that launches a thousand eye rolls: “Can you hold this for me while I run to the ATM?” Don’t be that guy. While professionally managed estate sales often accept credit cards, cash is still king. Carry cash, including an assortment of smaller bills so proprietors don’t have to struggle to make change. (Ones and fives are especially appreciated.) 6. Haggle strategically -Though haggling is usually acceptable at estate sales, it helps to brush up on the basics of good negotiating before hitting the estate sale circuit. A few things to keep in mind:
Remember, your hosts are probably juggling dozens of tasks related to settling an estate — packing, dividing sentimental possessions between friends and family, selling the home. 8. Listen- particularly in small towns, estate sale hosts are eager to share the backstory of the items they’re selling. This is part informational and part emotional. In other words, sellers want to know their treasured items are going to a good home where their histories will be appreciated. Though it may sound quaint, allow some room for this type of personal exchange. It’s part of what makes estate sales unique and fun. 9. Check upholstered furnitureUpholstered furniture that’s been exposed to cigarette smoke, pets or damp conditions can hold those odors for years. Some less-scrupulous estate sale organizers attempt to mask these noxious smells by burning scented candles or using heavy aerosol sprays. Before buying any piece of upholstered furniture, give it a quick smell test — a nose-to-the-fabric sniff. If something seems off, avoid that piece of furniture or be prepared to invest in reupholstering. 10. Mind your measurements - looking for specific dimensions in furniture, drapery or picture frames? Keep those measurements in your wallet or smartphone. It takes some of the guesswork out of buying and helps avoid investing in items that ultimately won’t work in your home. I also carry a small tape measure in my car, since not all sellers have one handy. 11. Be kind - and, finally, the most important tip of all: Be kind. Since estate sales are often prompted by a death in the family, be sensitive to the bumpy emotional journey your hosts may be on. Stifle critical comments about decor, clutter or housekeeping practices. Remember, everything you’re casually perusing represents the life of a lost loved one.  Cool story from NPR...
May 2019 ART & DESIGN Jeff Koons' 'Rabbit' Fetches $91 Million, Auction Record For Work By A Living Artist May 16, 2019 LAUREL WAMSLEY A 3-foot-tall silver bunny just set an art world record. Rabbit, by the playful and controversial artist Jeff Koons, sold for more than $91 million at Christie's Auction House — the most for work by a living artist at auction. Robert Mnuchin, an art dealer and the father of the Treasury secretary, had the winning bid on behalf of a client. Rabbit by Jeff Koons was sold for more than $91 million at Christie's in New York on Wednesday night. It set a record for the most expensive work by a living artist to be sold at auction. Seth Wenig/AP The stainless steel sculpture is a faceless space bunny, a balloon that's not a balloon. The piece was one of 11 works that were offered from the collection of magazine publisher S.I. Newhouse, the longtime chairman of Condé Nast who died in 2017. "The work is considered the holy grail of Koons works among certain collecting circles, and the bunny's allure was burnished by the fact that Newhouse was its longtime owner," Artnet writes. "It also received an extraordinary pre-sale display at Christie's with a custom-built room that perched the rabbit on a pedestal surrounded by lighting mimicking a James Turrell installation." In its lot essay, Christie's described Rabbit as melding "a Minimalist sheen with a naïve sense of play": "It is crisp and cool in its appearance, yet taps into the visual language of childhood, of all that is pure and innocent. Its lack of facial features renders it wholly inscrutable, but the forms themselves evoke fun and frivolity, an effect heightened by the crimps and dimples that have been translated into the stainless steel from which it has been made. ... The steel surface of the titular bunny initially appears smooth and balloon-like, the forms reduced to some abstract, Platonic ideal." The sculpture was cast in 1986 in an edition of just three, plus an artist's proof. The one sold Wednesday was the last one in private hands, with the others in the collections of the Broad Art Foundation in Los Angeles, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the National Museum of Qatar. With the sale, Koons retakes the mantle of most expensive living artist. He had lost it the title to David Hockney, whose 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold at Christie's last year for $90.3 million. Previously, Koons held the distinction when his orange Balloon Dog sold for $58.4 million in 2013. Article courtesy of Estatesales.org
I first heard about Mr. X, the guy who made a million dollars at an estate sale, the way people tend to hear about these things: from a friend of a friend. Mr. X was an art collector and artist in his 40s who specialized in picking and knew everything there was to know about art, Texas art especially. He’d gone to an estate sale a few years back and hit the jackpot. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time. So how does an art guy end up with a million dollar picking hustle? That’s what I set out to learn when I called Mr. X to pick his brain about how to get rich from estate sale-ing. Mr. X (who asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons) was friendly over the phone, forthcoming with stories, and quick to laugh at my jokes, which put me right at ease. We chatted for about an hour, interrupted only a few times by his toddler step kids — “my real full-time job,” he explained, “along with taking care of my wife.” As of late Mr. X has become a family man, so he likes to stick close to home. But whenever the timing’s right and he can find a good estate sale, he goes out on the hunt. After all it’s hard to walk away from the kind of thrill where you can saunter into an antique store in Smalltown, Texas, haggle a Japanese cloisonne vase down from $85 to $65, and then turn around and sell it to a well-known auction house for $180,000. And that’s just one of the stories Mr. X told me. Some might say he has the eye. But he’d probably tell you picking is in his blood. “All my life I used to go to garage sales. Westbury Square, the Sharpstown flea market, museums with my dad,” he said, naming places in Houston, Texas. “At one point I would hit anywhere from seven to eight estate sales a day. Now I’m a lot more selective.” What began as a proclivity for Texas art, mid-century modern furniture and decor, and oil & gas memorabilia ubiquitous in East Texas, has been refined over the years to make more efficient use of his time — for a bigger return on investment. Mr. X has narrowed down his hunts to estate sale finds with international appeal, pieces that can be bought and sold to big-name houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s. His specialty as of late? Rare Chinese antiquities. Japanese cloisonne vase. Photo courtesy of EJ’s AuctionsTrack Trends to Make Money at Estate SalesMr. X didn’t come by the antiquity trend by accident. In fact, after talking to him a few minutes you get the sense that not much in his life is happenstance. I listened while he discussed the ins and outs of ancient Chinese Dynasties the way some people might rattle off sports stats. Whether it’s rare stamps or ancient clay pottery, he’s got an opinion on it. But his picking habit is more than just a penchant for pretties. He keeps his eye on the prize, figuring out in half the time what might take some people years: how to make money shopping estate sales. “Because at the end of the day, the market fluctuates, just like gas and oil, or gold and silver,” Mr. X said. “But for the last five years, Chinese antiquities has probably been the strongest in the world, hands down. African and Mexican are in the tank. Japanese, depending on what it is, is mediocre. I’m looking for pieces that are collected worldwide at auction.” If you frequent estate sales at all, you’ve probably run into some of the regulars, die-hards, often antique dealers, who tail the trends and show up before anyone else does to get the best treasure. They tend to be aggressive, which can seem intimidating to some estate sale shoppers. Mr. X says, “They watch out for me.” In fact, he once supplied most of the antique dealers in his area and antique shows around Texas, filling up their locations or taking orders, dealing mostly in oil & gas and mid century mod, but procuring anything they wanted. He’s even been known to turn around and sell items in the estate sale’s front yard when he’s beat someone to the punch. It’s his experience and persistence that give him his competitive edge, hands-on learning you won’t get online. “There’s not one time been a piece that I’ve spotted and went after that I haven’t got,” he said. Estate Sale Indicators to Find TreasureSo how does Mr. X know whether or not an estate sale will be worth his time ? He finds sales the way most people do: on the internet. To narrow his search, he looks for “indicators,” details that give insight into the type of of estate sale, like: estate sale photos and descriptions, but also the estate’s neighborhood or the estate sale company’s prior sales. He suggests playing detective on your own to evaluate estate sales since they don’t always include prices on key items. Context clues can offer a wider perspective. “Sometimes you can see some of the prices on some of the other things, and it will give you a general idea of how they are pricing,” Mr. X said. He also suggests checking real estate appraisal records for an idea of the house’s layout. This will give you an idea of where to look when you get through the door. Because when you’re competing for a top-dollar item, you have no time to lose. The Internet is where Mr. X found the million dollar estate sale in the first place. By fate or coincidence, it was the only estate sale that day with any Asian indicators, so it immediately caught his eye. After looking into the estate and sale, he devised his strategy: he would buy up all the Chinese art and antiquities he could, and worry about research later. With the low prices he expected to find, based on other indicators, the pay-off was sure to outweigh the risk. “I knew if this piece, or that one, turns out to be just decorative, not a big deal because of how they were priced to begin with. Some of them were $100, some $300, $150, $20, $5, $10. Low prices.” (When it came to specifics or photos of the items, Mr. X was a bit more guarded, which was understandable. Professional pickers don’t usually like to give away all their secrets). His plan paid off. When the sale opened, he went straight for the items he’d seen online. When the lot of Chinese antiquities turned up an assortment of porcelain, ceramic, and paintings he knew he’d hit the jackpot. Chinese clay teapot, Photo courtesy of EJ’s AuctionsFlipping Estate Sale TreasuresHowever, Mr. X wasn’t in the clear just yet. In order to secure a contract with an auction house, the antiquities would still need to be authenticated. Especially in this market, knock-offs exist. Proper authentication can sometimes take months. When he got home, he began preliminary research, comparing appraisals and pricing online, and it was then that he had a better idea of the treasure he had on his hands — possibly more valuable than he’d imagined. It was through his online research that Mr. X came across the name of original owner of the lot — the estate owners’ ex-husband, who happened to be alive and well in a nearby town. Doing his due diligence, Mr. X contacted the man and sent him some photos, hoping to get more information he needed for authentication. “I reached out to him for several reasons,” Mr. X said. “To get provenance on pieces I’d already identified, to get help on the ones I hadn’t identified yet, and also to see if he was interested in any of his personal items.” The two exchanged correspondence, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Then, Mr. X finally settled on an auction house and signed the contract that would send the first items on a world tour throughout China, including Tai Pei and Hong Kong. It seemed everything was primed and ready to go — all except for one small catch. The original owner wanted his stuff back. An Estate Sale Dream Turned NightmareUp until now, things had gone pretty smooth for Mr. X on the treasure-hunting front, with no major hiccups, even when he was bold enough to flip finds in someone’s front yard. But little did he know that when he walked into that estate sale treasure trove, he would also walk into a complicated ex-step-family situation and arduous lawsuit that would question Mr. X’s right to legal ownership. It’s a common scenario, especially with multiple marriages. It’s hardly unusual for an ex-spouse to leave some belongings at their former residence, avoidance or oversight, stuck in a closet or attic where it might gather dust for years— in this case, many years after the divorce. It’s also not unusual for adult children, who may live out of city or state, to not know which items belong to an ex, or how much they’re worth. Without Mom or Dad to ask about old so-and-so’s weird art, the kids are left to figure it out on their own — or rely on an estate sale company. The day before auction, the auction house Mr. X was under contract with received a Cease & Desist letter. The property’s original owner claimed the art had been stolen by the estate. Since Mr. X was now under contract with the auction house, he was liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars. “An auction house doesn’t care who’s right or wrong. They’re a business, and at the end of the day, you’re the name on that contract,” Mr. X said. “So on the low end, I was over $200k in withdraw fees, plus attorney fees because of their claim.” Luckily for Mr. X, after some lengthy litigation, he won the case. There were too many instances where the estate executors did not dot their i’s or cross their t’s, he said. All told, the value of the property amounted to over a million dollars, with still more auctions pending. Not bad for a couple hours spent at a neighborhood estate sale. “But if I hadn’t won the lawsuit,” Mr. X notes, “I would have owed the auction house 200 or 500,000 dollars. So that was the position they put me in.” While this was a happy ending for Mr. X, one suspects it wasn’t so nice for the estate’s executor, or the the original owner of the Chinese antiquities. What went wrong — and how can others avoid this nightmare scenario? Mr. X has a few ideas. The people who held the estate sale cut a lot of corners, he said, choosing not to follow estate sale best practices, like proper and accurate documentation. “The kids apparently didn’t want to process the estate like they should have, and give an inventory or itemized list to the court like they should have as executor,” he said. Had they followed documentation best practices, they would have had more evidence to support their case. The executors also didn’t choose well when they decided to hire an estate sale company. Hiring an estate sale company experienced enough to know how to accurately appraise and price items, even unusual or big-ticket finds, is crucial. One way to determine a company’s expertise is from client reviews. But you should also consider how long they’ve been in business, professional accreditations, formal education, and specializations. The truth is sometimes new or fly-by-night estate sale companies don’t have the expertise that comes with years of experience. To compete with more established businesses, newer estate sale businesses may offer a “good deal,” which might seem to save money up front, but could cost executors millions later — as in the case of Mr. X. “Every estate sale company has the same spiel that leads one to believe that they’re gonna get your family top dollar, and they’re experts on this and that. But at the end of the day, not all of them are,” Mr. X says. Unfortunately, as the number of operating estate sale companies has increased to meet growing demand, so have opportunities for unethical practices. “Just to get in the door, they’re gonna try to undercut companies that are already established by a lower percent,” Mr. X said. “Just to get their phone ringing.” He warns against companies that outprice the competition. “Many people go with an estate sale company that’s only gonna charge 22 or 25%. Well, in this business you get what you pay for.” Finally, another issue that led to Mr. X’s victory concerned the estate sale contract. Estate sale contracts should always include a clause to account for any valuable items that may pop up or get “found” during the sale, so they are returned to the estate. In this case, their estate sale contract didn’t include key items. “When they signed the contract with the estate sale company, there was no mention of any art whatsoever in the contract,” he said. A simple oversight that turned into a win for Mr. X. So how does Mr. X make big money from estate sales? He offers a few tips.
“Learning Chinese and Japanese antiquities is like getting into stamps or coins,” Mr. X said. “And most of these estate sale companies aren’t versed in it yet and not knowledgeable.”
While the Internet has many valuable pricing and appraisal resources, the best way to study estate sale items is by handling, feeling, and studying them. Often, estate sale photos are distant, blurry or won’t show identifying marks. The indicators may look promising, but it’s in poor condition, a repo, from the 1970s, or Made in China — yesterday. Sometimes, you can get idea of the pricing and always assess the neighborhood as you would any estate sale. Research the estate If you have the estate sale’s address, research the property. Mr. X suggests visiting appraisal websites to get an idea of the estate. This gives you an idea of the house layout so you can go straight to the room when the doors open, especially in competitive sales. You can also research estate ownership. Mr. X does a Google background check to see if the owner was in the war, military, or Oil & Gas, for example, to give him a better idea of the potential for authenticity. Research the estate sale company Look into the estate sale company. New estate sale companies might not be as knowledgeable when it comes to Asian antiquities and, as the case of the aforementioned estate sale, they may price items too low. “They could have a Qing or Ming Dynasty vase or a Qin shi or what have you, and don’t know it, and they’ll have it priced for 100 dollars, 200 dollars,” said Mr. X.
“If I see it, I go. I study estate sales in California, San Antonio, Austin, Louisiana, Mississippi, Dallas, and if I see it, I’m either on the road or on the plane to get to it” he said. When he’s in the field, if the sale starts at 8 or 9 in the morning and it seems promising, he’ll even post up the night before, or get there super early to be first or with the first group through the door. This strategy is non-negotiable.
“I would advise anyone doing it to make money to take photographs of the estate sale. Make sure you have the address written on the receipt, and you have all your documentation. So if some piece does turn out to be very valuable, you’re covered,” Mr. X said. Estate Sale Documentation checklist:
“You’ll always have your ladies who go right to the kitchen and look for vintage Pyrex or Ruby Red glass or Pampered Chef. That’s what they come for. So just because you have 30 or 40 people in line doesn’t mean they’re your competition.” said Mr. X. Another tip: stay up to date on the sales in your neighborhood by signing up for daily estate sale updates from EstateSales.org. And Mr. X’s biggest tip of all? “You’re not gonna find any treasure if you’re not out there looking, that’s for sure.” |
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