We sold a 1967 Morgan Plus 4

And we Offered up This Incredible Antique French Marble Bust

There is absolutely no other industry that provides a professional with this kind of range. Estate Sales, the setting up and conducting of them, are dense with a multiplicity of “Things” to look at – things that an Estate Sales Professional either already knows the value of, or has to know that they don’t know the value of.

And That’s the Key Folks…

Your Estate Sales Professional has to know when they don’t know, then they have to know how to find out…

(Sold by Cowan’s for $240.00)

Ask your estate liquidator, or auction house what their primary research tools are. Expect that they might not want to tell you – sometimes they get a bit cagey about their research resources, because they are afraid that if they tell you exactly which online research resources they use, then you will conduct your own research, and sell the item on your own.

I always let people know what antiques and collectibles platforms I use. Here they are Artfact, Ask Art, Terapeak, Prices4Antiques.Com. But if you want to use these resources yourself, then be prepared to spend a small pile of money, because these are fee based research sites…

Auction Wally can appraise your items online…

Here’s a link to his Appraisal Service: Auction Wally Online Appraisals

…Other Estate Sales News …

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

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Martin Codina

Fine Estate Sales

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It’s all about the contrast isn’t it? I mean if you compare the prices charged for estate sales items to the prices you find at Garage Sales then you are going to feel like Estate Liquidation Company’s charge too much money.

But Do They Charge Too Much?

Well sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. Before I go into how estate sales company’s price items I want to examine just a bit the differences between most estate sales and your average garage or yard sale.

Estate Sales vs. Garage Sales!

The biggest difference between Garage Sales, and Estate Sales is that Garage Sales sell stuff that is no longer wanted; sells items that have been heaped into boxes or strewn onto tables; items that were stored away in garages as undesirable, and now the owner of these things wants to offload them as soon as possible. They want to “Get rid of it” because these items are no longer useful to them, and it is the hope of the owner that this can best be accomplished by offering them to the public at very low prices. Most of them are trying to declutter or open up space, and give themselves more room.

And this strategy works for them…but

It doesn’t work for an Estate Liquidation Company because they represent the interest of families who until very recently wanted their “Stuff” who valued their “Things.”

How do Estate Sales Company’s Arrive At Those Crazy Prices?

It’s simple, they follow the math of their past estate sales pricing strategies.

And then they shift their perspectives all the time to include new sales and pricing information. If a Duncan Phyfe dining table didn’t sell at their last sale for $1,000.00, most professionals are going to lower the amount they attempt to charge for this kind of table the next time they have one for sale.

The Market is King, or Queen if you prefer, and determines Estate Sales prices…

If you shop at a lot of estate sales, I advise you try the following: Go back to an estate sale on it’s final day, even almost at the final hour of the sale, and see how much inventory they have left compared to how much they started with. If they have over 30% of what they started the estate sale with, then their prices were too high. But if they have 30% or less of the original contents of the house left, then they have done a great job, both for their clients and their purchasing customers.

Estate Sales and Estate Liquidation Companies Serve Two Masters!

The seller who wants as much as they can reasonably get in the shortest time possible, and the estate sale buying public that wants the best possible deals.

Setting the right estate sales price on everything in an estate is never easy, it isn’t rocket science though.

My name is Martin, and I am an Estate Liquidator and simply stated – “I Love My Job.”

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Chippendale Chair Sells For $51,750.00

As Hard As It May Be To Read – Many Intelligent People Throw Valuable Household Items Away Instead Of Selling Them At An Estate Sale!

Think about it. The average San Francisco Estate Sale that Fine Estate Liquidation conducts in the San Francisco Bay Area contains as many as 750 to 1200 saleable items. If each of these items were worth only an average of $10.00 each, than selling these items at an estate sale would generate a minimum income of between $7,500.00 and $12,000.00.

In today’s economic climate you might want to ask yourself “Can I afford to throw money away?”

Click on image to be taken to TigerDude.com

So There You Are, In Your House, Or The Home Of A Loved One, And You Are Faced With Having To Do Something With A Household Full Of Personal Property.

At least once a week I receive a phone call from someone who informs me that they have thrown away as trash many of the items in their house or the home of a decedent. They do this for many reasons.

Folks, I know that you are trying to get through difficult times, that going through someone elses house is tough, that you think because you wouldn’t buy the things you are throwing away, you believe that no one else will either.

But a thorough cross check of hundreds of estate liquidation web sites across the country will ask you to do otherwise.

Don’t throw anything away!

Whether You Are Planning On Conducting Your Own Estate Sale, Or Hiring A Professional Estate Liquidator Remember Our Logical Order Of Estate Liquidation.

Fine Estate Liquidations logical order of estate liquidation:

First: Try to sell your item.

Second: If your item cannot be sold – donate or give it away.

Third: If your item cannot be sold or given away then it’s OK to define it as debris.

Click on image to be taken to Classic Refuse Trucks

Here Are 4 Items I Hope You Never Throw Away!

1935 EARLY ZIPPO LIGHTER PAT PEND ORIGINAL NEAR MINT (Sold on February 16, 2008 for $2,025.00)

Wellington OH Ohio Big 4 Railroad Patriotic Studio Postcard RPPC $500

19c French Oil Lamp $650.00

UNION CASE with Daguerreotype $650.00

For more information about the estate sales and estate liquidation process contact Martin Codina here: Fine Estate liquidation, Inc.

If you want to learn how to conduct your own estate sale visit The Do It Yourself Estate Sales Guide website.

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

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When I first started in the Estate Sales Business almost 13 years ago, “Hey,” what did I know? Not much…!

My first estate sale was in Point Reyes Station, Ca. When I went to look at the estate, it literally was under tarps in the front and back yard of a small white clap board house close to the center of town. The heir had removed everything from her mother’s house to make it easier to paint the interior. I remember lifting an edge of the blue tarp, and looking under it, and seeing all manner of household items and collectibles…

So my partner, and I moved everything back into the house, priced as much of it as we could, and then we made the premises ready for an estate sale.

I priced everything according to my limited knowledge of collectibles, and antiques, as well as, my own raw instincts. The estate sale took place over a holiday weekend which I later learned is not always the best time to stage a sale – but like I said, what did I know?

We advertised the Estate Sale extensively

I advertised this estate sale in two of the local newspapers, and put up estate sale signs on utility poles around the neighborhood, and lo and behold they came. It seems that lots of people were looking for the perfect excuse to leave San Francisco, take a ride in the country, and add to the trip, the bonus of shopping at an estate sale in the country.

On the morning of our first estate sale, my partner and I made our final preparations to the staging of the house; having no idea what was in store for us. It was just the two of us, we never thought we would need extra help.

The house was set back from the street surrounded by a tall hedge in front of which was a white picket fence. You could not see the street from the house, it was private and cozy back there. I left my partner in the house, and I walked towards the gate to let the people in – I was kind of excited. As I got closer to the gate, I could hear the sound of many people talking, and when I arrived at the gate, I saw that there was quite a crowd of estate sale shoppers there.

Estate Sales crowd control is important…

But like I said, what did I know? I let them all in at the same time…it was like a stampede – 50 or 60 people intent on finding bargains descended upon and entered the house.

I followed them all in, and standing at the front door, I can still remember looking across the front room, over the tops of their heads, to my partner, both of us with puzzled faces, and shrugging shoulders as if to say, who knew?

People loved this estate sale, they snapped up arm loads of dishes, linens, collectibles of every shape and size, and then proceeded to my hastily arranged cashier’s station in the front yard. It was incredible. There was a line at times as long as twenty, or thirty people, and they just kept on coming all day.

I learned a lot about the estate sales business during this sale, and the first thing I learned was that people will buy the most surprising things. And the second thing I learned was that I had to do much better homework, and learn how to properly price things.

One of my favorite Estate Sales Memories…

One of my fondest memories of this estate sale, was when the owner of the largest estate sales company in San Francisco arrived. She, and her family had a second home in the Point Reyes Station area. I had shopped her estate sales in San Francisco many times, so I knew her fairly well. She asked me if I had any costume jewelry for sale, and I said that I did, but that I had not put it out because I did not know how to price it. She asked if she could see it, and I set her up in the bathroom, away from the clamoring masses to look at it.

Every once in a while I would check in on her, and there she was, the undisputed queen of the San Francisco estate sales business, sitting on the edge of the tub, in the bathroom of my first estate sale, going through a mound of costume jewelry…which she of course purchased for a song…but like I said, what did I know?

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

Do Your Own Estate Sale

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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

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Some Suggestions:

The following suggestions for resolving estate liquidation conflicts is in no way an attempt to replace sound legal advice, but is offered as an additional estate liquidation resource.

Everything, all decisions about the estate – from what to do with the house, financial instruments, and personal property is all about the answers to the following questions.

What did the the decedent want, and in the case of someone who has past away without a will, what would the decedent have wanted?

As an executor you are in a rare position, a position of trust, a position of acting on the will and authority of another person.

This following list is meant to give you some guidelines, which will help you ponder better ways to resolve your families estate liquidation conflicts

A simple executor guide to help you resolve Estate Liquidation, and Estate Sales conflicts should they occur…

1. Carefully read the will and make notes.
2. Meet with your attorney, and let them know that you are going to have a family meeting.
3. Before any family meeting, compose a letter to each of the heirs, asking them to write down 4 principals that they remember as being important to the decedent.
4. Ask each heir to bring their list with them, to the family meeting.
5. After everyone has read their list, establish and remark upon any common ground.
6. There will be some commonality, and agreement among the heirs, about the principals of the decedent. Highlight these agreements.
7. Discussions will unfold about what to do with the personal effects of the estate, refer as much as possible to the agreed upon principals of the decedent.
8. Ways to prevent a free for all atmosphere at this juncture, is to ask each heir to use the following questions as a guide for choosing items from the estate: What’s important to keep and What’s OK to let go of?
9. Decide if the decedents principals can be aligned with what ever estate liquidation options are available to the family.
10. Choices for what to do with the remaining personal property are fairly clear, and are narrowed by the geographical area where the estate resides, and the temperament of the family – guided by the decedents principals, and are as follows: Estate Sales, Auctions, and Charity.

For a list of questions to ask an estate liquidator go to Questions to ask an Estate Liquidator

My name is Martin Codina and I am an estate liquidator who cares…

Back to Fine Estate Liquidation, Inc.

If you find that you have a desire to stage and conduct your own estate sale, try our kit:

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit

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Estate Sale

610 Clipper St. #4 San Francisco

Sat. Feb. 16 and Sun. Feb. 17
10:00am – 5:00pm

3 Persian rugs, Antique tiger oak serpentine breakfront, Regulator wall clock, Victorian mantle clock, Large tree panel Japanese woodblock print, Water buffalo horns, Vintage reverse glass painted shade with original bronze base, Vintage wicker side or what-not table, Maxfield Parrish print with original blue and gilt frame, Antique oak dinning table with 6 oak press-back chairs – original finish to table, Spoolwork clerk’s or students desk, Large tabletop pieces of pink or red coral, Heart shaped white coral, Antique carved church pew, Many collectibles, Books, TV, Stereo, Tools, Kitchen, Trunk…and more.

Two Items of Special Interest:

1.) Painting By Snowflake: Here is a brief Bio excerpted from an email sent to me by the executor.

Snowflake was part of a group of very talented post-hippie-era gays who spent much time at the Ambush, which was far more of a cultural institution than it was a bar. They had art exhibits openings every two weeks. Chuck Arnett, who I referred to in my email to Gayle, was another regular and his gay leather mural at the old Tool Box appeared in Life magazine’s Gay in America special issue back in 1964 (I believe), and has become an icon.

Snowflake was the most artistic of the crew. He was also the consummate showman. His openings were always an event. One time he came dressed as Toulouse-Lautrec with top hat and monocle, and shuffled around on his knees all evening.

Descriptions of this painting:

Name Rainbow Cash Register:

The Ambush had a transom window over the door that the afternoon sun came thru’, & someone hung a crystal in that window. As time passed, other people added crystals, then it became a bigger deal, & someone built a frame to hold all of the hanging crystals, & then the frame was moved in front of the transom throughout the year so that the crystals always caught the sunlight. Jim said that when you stepped into the pitch black establishment (don’t know if the interior was painted black [YES], or just seemed that dark after coming in from the daylight), the bar would be bathed in rainbows from the sunlight hitting the crystals — hence the Snowflake painting ‘Rainbow Cash Register’ (can’t remember if that’s its ‘official’ name, or just what we call it). Jim said that from the place where Snowflake sat at the bar, that’s the view he would have had of the cash register, etc.

2.) Gay Viet-Nam Protest Poster – Protesting the Mai Lai massacre.
http://www.finesf.com/

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide

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Estate Sale

1626 Diamond St. SF, Ca.

Fri. Jan 18 – Sun. Jan. 20

10 am – 5 pm (note new opening time)

Some China, Antique Carved Bookcase w/ glass doors, George Jensen Sterling Flatware (Block or Arcadia Pattern) 3×5 Silk Prayer Rug, Other Knotted Rugs, Cobalt Glass, Furniture –Some Antique, Old Andirons – One Pair Of Which Is In The Shape Of A Ships Anchor, Collectibles, 2 Ten Speed Bikes – Free Spirit FS19 and Motobecane Mirage Made In France, Ben Hogan Gulf Clubs, Christmas Stuff, Train Set, Horn, Stereo and 2 TV’s, Murano, Shabby Chic, Records, Books, Tools, Kitchen and much more…small house that is packed…

Website: www.finesf.com

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide

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In the corner on my left, wearing the purple trunks and claiming to contain all the treasure collected over the lifetimes of several generations, is the Estate Sales Bomber.

And in the corner on my right, wearing the yellow trunks, looking lean and thin, is the hurriedly trained, Yard Sale Scrapper.

Folks, these two fierce opponents have squared off countless times, over countless weekends, and neither of them seems to be a clear winner.

So before you get ready to rumble this weekend, please read the following public service announcement.

Estate sales are two or three day in-house sales events. They are for lack of a better description, windows into peoples’ lives. Generally speaking what you find at an estate sale is everything that was wanted by the people who lived in the house where the estate sale is being conducted. In other words what you find in an estate sale is “stuff” that was wanted.

Yard Sales are more or less disorganized sales events merchandising the unwanted cast off “stuff” of its sellers. But don’t let that description fool you, they can contain treasures of significant value. Remember, these sales are usually being conducted by people who, because they are not professionals, often don’t know the value of what they are selling.

So where do you the consumer go to find gold? Well, in the words of a miner, I once met as a young man “Gold is where you find it.”

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

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Guide

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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

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