So Sandy how did you originally get into the estate sale industry?
I saw an ad posted on the local message board and knew this job was right up my alley! My extended family has been in the antiques business for years so I knew I could finally apply my knowledge from my love of going to estate, garage, flea markets and antique sales over the years.
How long have you been working for BHM Estate Sales?
I started Jan. 2013 and have never looked back! Looking forward to my 5 year
anniversary!
What was the hardest thing you had to do for an estate sale?
Clean out a basement in a haunted house!
What are your favorite things about working in the estate sale industry?
Having the opportunity to see all different homes and their contents and allowing
me to be creative in the prepping and staging process to better showcase
homes.  I also enjoy meeting new customers and cultivating relationships with repeat
customers.
What are tips you can share to potential clients about what they may need to do
in order to get ready for an estate sale?
1. Know what you want to sell after family has agreed and what you will need if
you are relocating, downsizing or tearing down.
2. Understand the true value of your home goods and not the personal
attachment you may have. Probably the toughest part emotionally in difficult
times. We do our own research to ensure pricing is in realistic range.
3. Don’t donate, give-away, or throw away anything prior to the sale. We sell
most anything and everything and those decisions can be made after the sale.
4. It is not necessary for you to organize, stage or price since you have many
other things on your plate while moving.
5. Here’s my plug: Allow BHM Estate Sales to help alleviate your stress and do
what we do best. Jill will be completely honest with you!
Are you a shopper of estate Sales? 
It never gets old!! To the chagrin of my husband…
If so, what is one of your most favorite pieces you've purchased?
I bought a stainless steel chef island for wine and beer making in my basement and
it’s now in my shiny new kitchen! Love a good bargain!
Is it hard work when you are prepping a sale?  What is involved?
Yes, it takes physical stamina since you are cleaning out some homes that some
have never been touched in years. So, I would say sweat equity, since we begin
by pulling all of the household contents out and then strategically putting
everything back in a presentable/sellable/staged way in order to achieve the best
outcome for our clients.
What is a tip you'd give customers when shopping at an estate sale?
Haggle for it, we love a challenge. If you are really interested in something, buy it
then since it could be gone within seconds.

Sandy is a mom of two teenage baseball, ultimate frisbee, basketball, loving boys.  She is a
bargain shopper and freelance graphic designer specializing in print and online
ads/logos/branding/marketing/collateral.  She is also the designer of the BHM Logo.  If interested in her graphic services feel free to reach out to her at:  

For a year, photographer Norm Diamond visited up to 10 estate sales a week, documenting the stranded possessions for his series What Is Left Behind.

By Author
Allison Meier
  
Norm Diamond, “LBJ With Fishhooks,” from What Is Left Behind: Stories From Estate Sales (courtesy the artist and Daylight Books)On weekends when I was growing up in Oklahoma, my mom and I often would scan the newspaper listings of estate sales, and pick a few to explore. To my memory, we rarely bought anything, but I was captivated by these whole lives suddenly exposed to be dug through by scavenging hands, while family members or strangers set a dollar amount for stacks of well-worn records and boxes of vacation travel slides. More than any funeral I’d attended, these estate sales had a heavy sense of mortality, with a life reduced to its meager price tags.
What Is Left Behind: Stories From Estate Sales by Norm Diamond, out May 16 from Daylight Books, is a photographic excavation of this world. As Diamond affirms in his introduction, “There is nothing like an estate sale to remind me of my own mortality and life’s brevity.” For a year, he would visit up to ten estate sales a week in Dallas, Texas, photographing the haunting, strange, and sometimes comical moments of these incredibly personal sales. On May 20, the Afterimage Gallery in Dallas will open an exhibition featuring this series.

Norm Diamond, “Man of the House,” from What Is Left Behind: Stories From Estate Sales (courtesy the artist and Daylight Books)Diamond’s ability to find an image amid the heaps of possessions came from his 35 years working as an interventional radiologist. He explains:  During my career, I sifted through hundreds of computer images every day, glossing over each patient’s normal anatomy subconsciously until an abnormal finding set off a conscious alarm. As an example, it might have been a minute trace of dye, seen on only one or two images, that escaped the confines of a small artery and revealed the site of a patient’s hemorrhage. When I went through the rooms in a house during a sale, I also made hundreds of yes/no decisions every minute without thinking. Almost always the answer was “no.” And then something would catch my eye — a poignant memento, a cultural knickknack that illustrated a time in our nation’s history, or an item so intimate and evocative that I knew I must photograph it.

Cover of What Is Left Behind: Stories From Estate Sales(courtesy Daylight Books)He bought some items (nothing over $25) and brought them back to his studio. Yet the in situ photographs are especially engaging. A man’s portrait rests by a made bed, the serene domestic moment interrupted by a tiny price tag for $2.50, a sale that would likely be for the frame rather than this family photo. A toilet paper holder in another image is priced at $5 for anyone who wants to rip it from the wall, while a body brace marked $15 is a shadow of the absent owner’s decline. In the back of the book, Diamond has some notes on individual items, such as the rifle resting on a Bible (“This being Dallas, Texas, I had several gun images to choose from after a year of estate sale browsing”), and another for a box of butter cream caramels, which had a wig inside. “After I purchased it, I took the box home and removed the hairpiece, which sprang out, expanding wildly in every direction,” he writes.
​
Most of the objects Diamond focuses on in the nearly 70 photographs published in What Is Left Behind are not worth much, whether a 1939 science project collection of pressed leaves, or a cast of someone’s teeth from 1973. Instead, they are a tactile timeline of a life lived. “This is contemporary Dallas, but it is also Dallas in 1950, 1972, 1986 — each home a time capsule,” writes Kat Kiernan, editor of Don’t Take Pictures, in an essay for the book. “Through Diamond’s photographs, we see how the world has changed over the course of a lifetime, culturally and technologically.”

At every estate sale there is a percentage of customers who try to bargain on the price that is listed. Bargaining is never the problem, it's how customers go about the bargaining process that is the problem.  

Most folks think it's their inherent right to get a lower price since the items are part of an estate sale, but that is not necessarily the case.  Most, if not all, estate sellers price the items they are selling for less than 50% of the retail price for the item in question -- for most people that should be a bargain just in itself.    

Of course our goal is to sell everything, but our goal is also to make our client the most money possible.  If you hired an estate seller for a relative or even for yourself, wouldn't you want the person you hired to get you the most money out of the sale?  

Customers need to realize that at many estate sales reserves are put in place so that certain items do not sell below a set price. These reserves are set by the client not the estate seller. This means for certain items, estate sellers, are contractually obligated to a specific reserve and that they cannot go below a certain price.

One of the biggest problem with customers who bargain at sales is that they don't do it correctly.  They come to the table "expecting" a discount.  ​Here is some good advice to take to heart the next time you are negotiating  on an item at an estate sale - let's start with the Don'ts list:

Don'ts:

1.  Never try to bargain in the first hour of the sale - it's a big no no and most estate sellers won't even contemplate a change on pricing on the first day.  Trying to get a discount in the first few hours of a sale is likely going to result in zero reduction on the price.

2.  Don't whine!  Whining is definitely not going to get you a discount.

3.  Don't act like you are entitled to get a discount - no one is truly entitled for a discount.

4.  Don't tell us you are a reseller and you need to make a profit - that does not bowl over well for most estate sellers as we too are resellers.  Of course we want you to make money but not at the cost of losing money for our client and ourselves.  It's better to be discreet about being a reseller.

5.  Don't be rude.  If you are rude we are more than likely not going to bargain with you.  Some estate sellers have been known to remove the item from the buyers hands and place them back on the shelf.

6.  Don't peg one salesperson off of another.  Many of us have systems to know if a salesperson has given you a discount or not.


Do's:

1.  Wait until the first day is almost over before asking for major discounts on the item(s) you are interested.

2.  Offer a bid if you don't want to pay full price.  Remember bid's are binding so don't offer a bid unless you are serious about paying the price you bid.

3.  Be polite, don't assume you are due a discount just because you are buying items at an estate sale.

4.  Do accept the sellers response the first time, don't ask over and over expecting the answer to change.

Remember if you are not happy with the price don't buy the item.  There will always be another day and another sale.

Happy Shopping!

Everyone loves to save money, but cutting corners on some services is just not advisable.  One such service is when you hire a professional estate liquidator due to the relocation of a parent, downsizing, or the loss of a loved one.
The emphasis here is on the word professional.    The estate sale professional is one who has dedicated much time, care, concern, diligence, devotion, education, research, plus so much more to attain the skills required to conduct a successful estate sale for their clients.  This professional works countless hours and endures many sleepless nights for their clients, 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 as easy as it appears.  Genuine professionals do it well and make it look easy, even though it is really very hard.  They truly earn their commission because of all they know how to do, including how to maximize sale proceeds.
Saving those few dollars selecting the wrong company could end up costing you!
Consumers Beware
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 see the following often:

• Many of them have little to no industry training, skills, or understanding of the scope of the work that lies ahead of them.
• They often know little about today’s market and what items will sell for.
• They often sell at very low prices and then depart.
• Some don’t even price items or research the value of higher-end pieces.
• Sometimes they leave a mess behind for the client to pick up and handle.
• The sale proceeds are often quite low, because they didn’t make the effort to make the sale as successful as possible.
• They may not pay the client in a pre-determined time frame or offer an accounting of what was sold.
• To get the contract signed, they undercut with a low commission, claiming they will do the same things as their professional competitors, but will they?

PLEASE do not hire a company based on commission alone.  Find out what the commission includes, research the company, and make your decision based on sound information and facts.
If the commission is very low, one must ask how they can afford the proper resources: enough staff to organize/display/watch the crowd effectively, security to minimize theft, advertising, appropriate prices, proper signage, social media, and more.
Lower commission can also bring lower effort.  Unless it is a very simple estate sale, what normally suffers is quality:

• Quality of care
• Quality of service
• Quality in research
• Quality in diligent preparation

These qualities are attributes of a professional, not a bargain-basement business.
KNOW WHO YOU ARE HIRING!  The time it takes to find those true professionals is time well spent.

Article Source:   http://estatelady.wordpress.com

There are so so many estate sellers out there, but they are not all the same.  

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 be assigning to my sale?  The answer would depend on size of house, how much is for sale and what types of items are for sale.  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.

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.

    What is it about mid-century furniture that makes folks go gaga?  Is it the lines, the deep seated daybed couches, the small pegged legs, the tartan fabric, the sculptured brass handles - what is it?  When I run my sales, I know right away that whenever I have mid-century pieces - - I'll have customers coming out of every corner of the universe to buy something mid-century.  I even once sold a fairly simple wall shelving unit that took the buyer over an hour to get it off the wall.  (He really wanted those shelves!)
    One idea for the madness around mid-century is that folks that bought their homes in the 1950's and 1960's are retiring and moving into smaller homes.  These folks would now be in their 70s and 80s.   They are parting ways with entire households of mid-century furniture.  They want to go in a different direction than what they had in their home all these year's.   Interestingly, lot's of these folks have gotten into the modern furniture movement.  This life transition for these folks has caused the mid-century floodgates to open up and to allow all those in their 20's, 30's and 40's to experience the beauty and simpleness of mid-century furniture. 
    Many folks go back to mid-century for nostalgic reasons.  Lot's of us grew up with the Brady Brunch and their house was a perfect example of mid-century style.  Who didn't love their living room set or their round groovy kitchen table and their den with the low, daybed couches where all their family meetings took place.
    At this point I don't see a slow down in the mid-century market, at least let's hope so, because I don't think I can bare dealing with the 1980's and all that formica.  Yikes!

So what is it with these American Girl Dolls that has adults salivating at the mere mention of them going on sale?  At a recent sale of ours in Montclair we had about 6 American Girl Dolls for sale and about 50 customers waiting in line to buy them.  Sadly, for the other 48 customers the first two customers snatched up everything including the extra clothing so there was nothing left for them to buy.

I had no idea there was such a hot market for the AG dolls.   So I started thinking what makes these dolls, as opposed to other dolls, so popular?    Is it because these dolls have great play value?  Is it because they are tall enough to be the size of a real baby?  Is it because the doll  accessories for these dolls are amazing?  Yes, yes and yes to all of the above.  The accessories for these dolls are too die for -- here is just a brief list of a few of the available accessories:  Tea Tin Lunchbox for Samantha,  an entire set of Nature Paraphernalia including a mini flower press and magnifying glass, for the Addy doll there is a puppet show or a gardening set, a pioneer school lunch, or a fishing set with mini bait for Kirsten, plus doll furniture is available for each doll, and let's not mention the great wardrobe each doll gets.

Moms and daughters alike discuss in detail about the different costumes they will make for their "babies".  Many patterns are available to make outfits for the 18" play dolls and there are also many web sites who offer additional, handmade clothing for the American Girls and other 18" dolls (including Magic Attic, Heidi Ott, Gotz, and others).

To accentuate the cultish following of this doll the American Girl company produces a monthly magazine title "American Girl Magazine" with articles on the dolls and their owners. 

So where do these dolls come from?
These 18" dolls went on sale in 1986 by the Pleasant Company.   The dolls were created to emulate 9-11 year old girls of a variety of ethnicities.  The dolls are sold with books that are from the viewpoint of the girls.

Originally the stories focused on various periods of American  history, but were expanded in 1995 to include characters and stories from present day life.  A variety of related clothing and accessories also became available.   In 1998, the Pleasant Company became a subsidiary of Mattel. 

Finally, another reason to love the AG dolls is that they are educational.  There are six books about each doll full of historical information.   Everything about the dolls, from their wardrobe to their furniture, is historically accurate. 

The dolls are also sturdy, and, although not cheap, the dolls are less expensive than many high-end dolls from manufacturers such as Madame Alexander.  For instance, Josefina with her basic outfit and paperback book costs $82.  Additional books, outfits, costumes and furniture can then be slowly added.  Or, for the big splurge, "collections" of dolls plus various outfits, accessories and furniture organized around the historical stories can be purchased for several hundred dollars.

These dolls are here to stay and I can only believe that they will continue to rise in value, especially the first generation of them.

Jill (aka Big Mama) 

Buying at an estate sale is not very hard, but I suggest you go to a few just to get the feel and vibe of how sales are run.  You need to learn about pricing and about style.  What is your personal taste?  Do you like modern, mid-century modern, antique, french country, shabby chic, Italian, Swedish, Moroccan -  you name it all these different styles of furniture can be found right in your own neck of the woods.

I always tell my customers not to judge a book by it's cover - look inside.  Some of my customers with the tiniest of homes have the most glorious collections of dolls or of rare books.  Some of my customers are sitting on hot, pricey furniture pieces and artwork of which they had just piled up in a spare bedroom. So just go in no matter what the house looks on the outside

Some of the less expensive items you can buy at an estate sale are games, kitchenware, toy's, clothes and low end furniture.  Items like designer furniture, chandeliers, sterling silver are the more pricier items to buy at an estate sale.  Even with the higher price you will still get a HUGE discount off retail prices.  You can buy a designer couch for less than half of what the stores are selling the exact same couch for.  You can also buy a dining table for as low as $400 and it's all wood, has style and comes with chairs.   At a retail store this same table would go for double or triple or worse be made of cheap materials and you end up having to replace in anyway in less than 5 years.

The best way to shop at a sale is come prepared.  Have your cash with you and have an idea of what you are looking for and how much you want to spend.  Bargaining is fun and once you do it a few times you'll get good at it.  Be fair though, remember the estate sellers job is too get the best price for the item for their client. 

Another recommendation for shopping at estate sales is to get on the mailing list of any estate sale company of whom you enjoy their sales.  I know we give our "fans' a special hour of shopping before we open the doors to the public.

You never know what you'll find at an estate sale - just go - don't be shy - look around and ask questions of the staff if you need something answered.

Happy Shopping.

Jill Mendelsohn
Owner of Bargain Hunter Mama Estate  Sales



www.bargainhuntermama.com

Happy Holiday's to all of you.  It's been an incredible year and we want to thank you for being such devoted Bargain Hunter Mama fans.  We've had an incredible year -- we not only quadrupled our number of estate sales we run from the prior year, but we launched a newsletter and now have an online shop. 

Our goal is for our company to be the go to place where you can find the unique and the special - items you can't find anywhere else.   If there is something you'd like to purchase or are on the hunt for let us know and we'll find it for you.

Don't forget we are having a 25% OFF ALL items on the website from 12/15/12-12/31/12.  ....