Your Design Questions Answered
Question: We need to sell my mother’s house and are considering having an estate sale. What’s involved in the process?
Answer: Lisa A. Semerjian (Art of Decoration, Berwyn, artofdecorationestatesales.com): Many people are choosing to have estate sales rather than calling in an auction house or using a consignment shop. Auction houses pick and choose what items they want to sell; consignment only takes certain things. At an estate sale, we’ll sell anything—and if something doesn’t sell, we have places where we can donate the items.
During a complimentary consultation, we assess the items and make sure there’s enough inventory to warrant a sale. We want to offer a variety of items, including a substantial amount of furniture. We come in, stage the items in each room and price them according to our experience. We advertise in local newspapers and send out e-mails to our large database of customers who frequent the sales. An armed guard is hired to protect the clients’ home.
Have a question for an expert? E-mail tbehan@mainlinetoday.com.
