Attending estate sales can be a fun adventure, almost like a treasure hunt. You know what you like and if anything catches your eye, it may also be an alluring item for someone else. Estate sales are great places to find affordable, unique gifts for friends and family as well. Some folks attend estate sales hoping to find bargains to resell at a profit. Whatever your motives may be, estate sales truly hold treasures.

Hosting your own estate state sale can be a lot of work: With Heritage Estate Settlement, you’ll get pricing knowledge, skillfulness in running a sale, competent sales staff, awareness of city and state laws regarding estate sales, and an organization versed in the security and theft issues that come up during an estate sale. Contact us for extremely efficient identification of antiques and collectibles and assigning values. We can help you navigate the complex world of estate sales and estate liquidation, and provide you with the maximum return.

Back to the fun of shopping at an estate sale: Estate sales are an expanded version of yard sales — except that virtually everything in the house is for sale. If you’re looking for a good second hand bicycle, lawn mower or toaster, an estate sale is for you. However, some items are in great demand. And whether you plan to resell the stuff you buy or just pick up good things on the cheap, an estate sale is the place to go. And many times, the things you can buy second hand are sturdier and better built than the things you can get new at the store. Here are tips for finding treasures AND things you should look for when you go to an estate sale.

Four tips for discovering Estate Sale Treasures

Go early. Bring cash with lots of smaller bills to make transactions go more smoothly.
Haggle reasonably: If you bid $75 for a $100 item, you’ll probably get it.
Many estate sale companies now let you bid online. Remember shipping costs.
Bide your time. If something was $50 on the first day, it could be $25 the next day.

Seek These Top Estate Sale Treasures

Furniture

Look for signs of quality like solid wood construction and dovetail joints
Never buy upholstered furniture without first giving it a smell test
Old furniture is often good furniture, you can save a lot on office

Tools

Tools are likely available at a fraction of what new versions would cost
Look for vintage pieces by Craftsman, Skil and Stanley: they are well-made and should have years of service left in them
Seek lawn tools, such as rakes, fertilizer spreaders, and lawnmowers
Be sure any power tools work when you turn them on

Vintage toys

Lego sets are great because they work forever and resell well
Keep an eye out for classic board games
Lite-Brite and Lincoln Logs
Don’t toss the box! Buyers pay more for toys in their original packaging.
Star Wars and X-Men figurines
Pokemon cards
Any toy that inspires nostalgia is worth it for your own kicks

Flatware

Look for stainless steel, silver plate, or sterling, from the 1960s and 1970s, often very sturdy due to their heavier-gauge metal

Original artwork

If you have bare walls, estate sales are a great place to pick up some nicely framed art.
You might even dislike the art but like the frame: repurposing the frame for your own art can save you considerable amounts in framing costs.

Contact the Pros at Heritage Estate Settlement for YOUR Estate Sale

During times of transition, we know it is vital to maximize the value of what you have, but also how important it is to make the transition as smooth and quick as possible. We have been servicing the Wisconsin community for the last 20 years. Heritage Estate Settlement is a family-owned business located in Menomonee Falls, WI. Heritage Estate Settlement can help to price items so even after bartering you will still get the best price for your valuables and we will deal with haggling from customers. Since we are a private enterprise, our door is always open to you and your family. We make a 100% commitment to all of the families we serve, which means we are available 24-hours per day, 365 days per year. We absolutely, positively strive to run our business based on ethical and honest interactions. References are available upon request. Contact Us to begin the Estate Sale process, together.