Considering an estate sale? Grand Forks woman shares her experience, advice for making it easier to manage

Feb. 4—GRAND FORKS — After Susan Rovelstad James' parents died, the prospect of selling the contents of their home was daunting, she said.

Homer and Phyllis Rovelstad had amassed a lifetime's worth of belongings over more than 70 years of married life.

Whether it's a matter of downsizing to smaller living quarters or letting go of a relative's possessions, those tasked with downsizing a collection of household items can plan a rummage sale or auction, donate items, or give things to family and friends.

People also are turning to estate sales, according to Monty Whitney, owner of Victorian Rose Antiques.

"In this area, people seem to be doing a lot more estate sales rather than the auction route," Whitney said. "Because with this kind of sale, you kind of have a little more control over the pricing of (items)."

In this agricultural area, people are still learning about estate sales, he said.

"Everybody is so used to the traditional auction." But, for the customer, the advantage of an estate sale is "you don't have to wait there all day for one item to see if you're going to get it or not."

Normally estate sales are held in summer, because it's a lot easier and items can be displayed outdoors, Whitney said. "But in the last couple of years we've actually been doing some in February and March. It just all depends on how (the clients) want to handle it, and how soon they want the house emptied."

Whitney will also handle the after-sale work, if the client chooses.

"We offer the services of cleaning the house out so it's empty for them to go in and prepare it to go on sale, or whatever they need to do," he said.

For James, the decision to hire someone to manage her parents' estate sale was obvious. The prospect of dismantling their home was "too overwhelming," she said, because she decided to put "almost everything" in the sale.

Even though her parents had given her some of their things over time, she still faced the task of getting rid of possessions amassed over decades — not only furniture, lamps, home decor, linens, dishes and other items, but also tools and necessities for vehicle maintenance, gardening and yard chores. The inventory also included several sets of fine china, silver serving pieces and crystal stemware, as well as her grandmother's embroidered handwork and antiques.

James hired Dennis and Mary Herbeck of Herbeck Antique Sales and Estate Sales to manage the sale. With contract in hand, they grouped similar things for display, and stored items James chose to keep in another location.

"The way they handled everything was so careful, and they treated everything with respect," James said. They displayed things "in their better light."

After the sale, the Herbecks gave her a "pretty clear" accounting of the sale, James said. They kept a certain amount from the sale, for their services, "which was reasonable for the work they did," she said.

James has advice for anyone who's preparing for an estate sale.

"You should have pretty clear in your mind the things you're letting go," she said.

James suggests keeping a list of things you want to keep and stick to it, she said.

"And then as you're preparing beforehand, you can add to it."

She recommends placing a sticker or masking tape marked with a "k" for "keep" on items — or some way to designate "this you want and that you don't," she said.

More often than not, certain things stir up personal or sentimental memories for those who are left to determine what to do with them.

"I went around and took pictures of my parents' things that were displayed (for the sale), so when they were gone, I still had my memories of those items because I could look at the pictures," James said. "I think that was the big thing if you're concerned about letting things go — at least you have something of it that you can have in your hand or a reminder by viewing a picture."

This allowed her to recall significant items from her past, without having to find space to store or display them.

"Letting go of those familiar and good memories — or bad memories or whatever it is — it still has an impact on you," she said.

Whitney echoed James' advice about the importance of selecting items the family wishes to keep and storing them in a designated room or outside the home.

Once those items are removed, he and his helpers can begin sorting and organizing everything else for display and sale, he said.

Whitney has been in the antique business more than 30 years and has managed estate sales for the last eight years or so, he said. He helps potential clients decide if an estate sale is the best option for disposing of possessions.

Meeting at their home, "we do a walk-through to see if an estate sale would be both worth their time and our time," he said. "Then, if it is, we give them the terms."

He charges a flat commission rate, which can vary, for his services, he said.

Many times, Whitney must decline to do an estate sale, because the items have insufficient value "or it's stuff that should go to the thrift store," he said.

"A lot of hours go into preparing for a sale," he said, and he usually brings in three to five people to help work the sale itself.

After the contract is signed, Whitney and his co-workers come into the home and arrange, clean and price every item.

"When we do these sales, normally we price items between flea market and shop price," he said. "Then, usually, the second day, whatever is left, everything goes 50 percent off."

When it comes to pricing, Whitney relies mostly on experience.

"If there are items we feel are good items — or we think they might be — we'll actually get online and research them to see what they are doing nationally," he said. "Sometimes we're happy and surprised; other times we're disappointed. It just all depends on what the item is."

The research allows him to "at least put a fair price on it," he said.

Whitney also does a lot of "boxed lots," in which similar items, such as cleaning supplies or towels, are priced by the box, he said. The customer must buy the whole box, "but they're getting a good deal."

He and his son James have launched an online service for clients whose inventory is too small to do an in-person sale. The service "gives the customer or the person who has the stuff another route to go," he said.

Over the years working in this business, Whitney has noticed that people who frequent estate sales share some common characteristics.

"There are always people looking for good used furniture," he said. "There are always people looking for some good-quality kitchenware that they can get at a better price than (what they would) pay for it new."

This is a good time to get into collecting, he said, because prices of antique and vintage items are unusually low.

"Another thing we're seeing in the last few years is that the younger people are not buying the good old stuff like they used to," he said. "They're pretty much a throw-away society; I hate to say that.

"It'll turn around again at some point; we just don't know right now."

At his Victorian Rose Antiques shop, "we probably get at least one or two calls a day wanting to know if we're buying fine china," he said. "We don't buy it, because we can't move it ourselves."