The second annual Estate Sale Conference sponsored by EstateSales.net will be held in Memphis, TN February 25th, 26th, and 27th, 2014 at the Peabody Hotel. This conference is to educate and provide a broad spectrum of information to improve the estate sale industry. It is not open to the public, only to estate sale companies, but it will benefit the public in so many ways. Estate Sales News will be participating and covering this conference. We will be speaking in a session on the afternoon of the first day of the conference and the our topic is estate sale contracts. ...read more

EstateSalesNews.com would like to address the most important issues in an estate sale contract pertaining to both the perspective seller and the estate sale company.  Let's start with the perspective seller: Once you have chosen an estate liquidator make sure you have a written contract. It should be specific about the commission or fees. Date of the sale and how and when you will be paid. It should spell out exactly when you will owe a commission. Do not expect an estate sale company to agree to conduct a sale after they have photographed and  started their work without charging you a commission if you pre-sell or withdraw items after the contract is signed and before the sale. Like any other business they have started to work for you and advertise. It is your obligation as a seller to either sell or withdraw items from the sale prior to the signing of a contract. Then the estate sale company has an opportunity to decide whether the contents left will warrant their accepting the sale and they can advertise accordingly. Most estate sale companies will include a clause that says once you sign if anything is removed or sold by you then you will owe a commission on those items. If you are truly not sure about a few ("key word being few") items then include them on an addendum. An estate sale contract is like any other contract. It is an agreement to perform for both parties. If you are selling a property and the new purchasers are interested, you should inform the estate sale company prior to signing a contract and decide who would best serve your interest. Emotions can sometimes be costly so it may be financially better to let an estate liquidator negotiate for you. The estate sale company: Your contract with sellers should include several things, including the commission or fees to be charged, dates of sale, what happens when items or sold or removed after the signing of the contract, a cancellation clause, how you will pay the seller and account for items sold, if you charge the seller for advertising or if the seller is paying for the advertising. You should also set out your ground rules. Will you conduct the sale if the seller is present, what about the cleanout, any additional expenses, and very important if the seller sells or withdraws items after the signing of the contract will they be charged and how much. Again your contract is an agreement for performance and it should state what you will do should the seller not abide by the signed contract, but also what you are obligated to do for the seller. Estate Sales News welcomes your questions and you can write to carol@estatesalesnews.com One caveat, I am not an attorney so the only advice I will give pertains to ethics and expectations not the legalities. ...read more

Welcome to Estate Sales News, your estate sales resource. EstateSalesNews.com was created to provide an online searchable resource for information, news and national blog about the estate sales business and help the public become informed consumers. We will be covering estate sales and tag sales news nationally. Every state has different regulations and practices as do estate sales companies. We feature articles to help perspective estate sales clients be knowledgeable and make informed decisions. You can find us on Facebook and on Twitter. ...read more