…because a reader has asked, here is her letter, paraphrased, and excerpted.

Reader: “Do you recommend being a certified Antiques Appraiser or not? “

Fine Estate: This is a very complex question. For starters, most Estate Sales Professionals are not certified appraisers, and most certified appraisers are not estate sales professionals.

While there are overlaps to what each of these two professions are accomplishing on behalf of their clients, they are still very different industries.

Certified appraisers for the most part, value household contents, and Estate Sales Professionals sell household contents.

My Recommendation: Find a competent certified appraiser in your area and have them preview your pricing. If you find anything at all in a house that you do not know the value of, always call in an outside expert. I did this for the first 3 years of my Estate Sales Business, and even still today, I have outside antiques and collectibles experts or appraisers check my pricing.

There ain’t no one person who knows everything

Reader: …”And are there other things that are really needed to be a qualified Estate Sales Professional?”

Fine Estate: I think that the number one talent of the best Estate Sales Professionals in the country is “To Know When They Don’t Know, and to have coupled this with the action of, “They Know How To Find Out”.

I fully expect to find a treasure in every house, not that I do find a treasure in every house, but I do expect it – I keep an Open Mind about what I am looking at, and because I expect to find Estate Sales treasures, I do.

My Recommendation: Know that you can’t know everything, indeed no one appraiser in the country does. Develop Solid Industry Contacts, pay them if you have to, subscribe to one or more of the big antique and collectible research data bases, such as Artfact, Askart, Terapeak, or Prices 4 Antiques.Com. I assure you, these are the data bases that almost all Certified Appraisers are using to ascribe value to antiques and collectibles. By the way, I subscribe to all of them.

What are the requirements to be an Estate Sales Professional?

Reader: “Are Estate Sales Professionals required to be licensed, bonded or insured?”

Fine Estate: Not sure how to answer this question, because these requirements would vary state by state. In California, there are no licensing, or bonding requirements in order to be in the Estate Sales business. Having said that, it makes good sense to follow the good practices of other kinds of business.

My Recommendation: If your state does not license Estate Liquidators, at least get a local municipal business license. All business should be insured, and many that handle cash, should consider getting bonded.

When will I have enough information to go into the Estate Sales Business?

Reader: I love helping with estate sales, but I do not feel I have the right information/experience to start my own Estate Sales business.

Fine Estate: This statement is, I think, an indication of your honesty, sincerity and integrity. These are very important components to have, with these, all things are possible. The Estate Sales Business is a trust industry. We are in peoples homes everyday, we see how they live, what they liked – whether life turned out OK for them…Honesty is everything, and with it you will prove yourself capable to act according to the best needs of your clients.

My Recommendation: Start small, by conducting some modest Estate Sales. Build alliances with Antiques Dealers, and Appraisers. Sign up for at least one of the antiques and collectibles research resources I listed.

Martin Codina

Fine Estate

…In Other Estate Sales News …

We did it, irrational or rational as it may be – you be the judge, now you can follow

Fine Estate Sales and Estate Liquidation Inc., on Facebook

Ask the right Estate Sales questions…

It is important to have the right answers. Information concerning estate sales, is the key to making great decisions. It is through the asking of the right questions of an Estate Liquidator, that you will arrive at the best answers.

So I have written a list for you:

These are the best estate liquidation, and estate sales questions I can remember having been asked in the last 13 years. You can find them here at Estate Sales Questions.

I have visited, and read through a lot of estate liquidation websites. Most of these are trying to be informative. These estate liquidators are trying their very best to give their readers valuable information about their services.

However what most of these websites do is:

1. Pose ten or more estate liquidation or estate sales questions.
2. Answer their own questions.

These estate liquidation companies are giving you a few questions they think you should be asking, and then they give you their answers to those questions.

Seems like a bit of a “Production” to me…

Here are my suggestions for finding the right estate liquidation questions to ask, as well as a process for how to use the estate sales answers you get.

1. Follow this complimentary Estate Sales Questions link.
2. Follow the guidelines that you find there.
3. Ask these questions of 3 different estate liquidation or estate sales companies
4. Compare and contrast their answers.

For more useful estate liquidation information visit back here from time to time, or go to:

Fine Estate Liquidation

My name is Martin Codina and I am an estate liquidator who loves his job.

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit

“I have an original invitation to the opening of the New York and Brooklyn Bridge for May 24 1883, this item in very good condition. Would you possibly be interested in auctioning it, or selling it for me? Also would you have any idea as to its value?

Thanks Dale

Answer: I think someone local to you, a dealer in ephemera would be a good place to start. Also this is a perfect eBay item check with a local eBay affiliate. You might also try Swans Auction house in N.Y.

Question #2

“I am having trouble identifying this signature. It is from a landscape sent to me from Germany about 1943-1945. Can you help?”

Barbara

Answer: I don’t know, maybe one of our readers do.

Question #3

“A very good friend of mine just lost her husband and they live way up in the foothills. There are tools, machines, compressors, generators, junk, pieces of carpet, riding mower, etc. I sent some people who do estate sales and they said there was not enough valuable stuff for them to do it. Sharon looked at me crying and said I don’t know what to do. I could run it myself and advertise with no problem. I just need a guide to tell me what stuff is worth. It all runs, Can you help me?”

Answer: Readers – do any one of you know of a pricing guide that would be helpful for this woman?

Question #4

I am looking for a reputable estate sale company in the Chicago area. Do you have any you can provide? Donna

Answer: I don’t. If someone from the Chicago area drops me a line and provides me with some references I will be happy to pass it along to you.

Martin Codina

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide

I will answer as many questions about estate liquidation as time permits.

My name is Martin Codina and I am an estate liquidator who loves his job.

http://www.finesf.com/

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide

Your Mom or Your Dad or someone special has passed away and they have chosen you to be their executor. Big honor. Big job.

Let’s say you have a relatively easy estate, one with modest assets to manage; one with fellow heirs who are in line with the wishes of the decedent. Selling the house is easy; you hire a real estate professional. For legal advice, you seek a competent professional attorney. As for stocks and bonds, you find a professional fiduciary…

The above professionals are regulated; each has a code of ethics, and is duty bound by law to act in your best interest.

Who do you call to help you with stuff…?

Your good so far, that is until you start to wonder what to do with a life time of the accumulated personal effects of the decedent.

My name is Martin Codina and I am an estate liquidator. My company – Fine Estate Liquidation has been helping people since 1996.

In my state California, there are no licensing laws governing the “Estate Sale Professional”. Because of this you have to rely on referrals and your good sense.

Here is some estate sales guidance.

“Stuff” is different. It is thought to be full of memories or to somehow be imbued with the person who once owned the stuff. And this makes it all the more important for you to find an estate sales professional you can trust, who understands that there are emotions tied up in the things you want to sell.

I am an estate liquidator and I will respect you while I do my job.

Martin Codina

415-235-7238
Fine Estate Liquidation, Inc.

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide