What happens to estate sale leftovers?
If you’re considering having an estate sale it’s important to plan for what happens to estate sale leftovers after the estate sale has concluded.
One of the primary goals of an estate sale is typically to empty the property and ready it for listing or closing. While most household items will sell during an estate sale, it’s possible that some items will be left unsold and require removal afterwards. Here are some options to consider in that event.
What happens to estate sale leftovers?
It’s common for unsold items to be donated to charities after an estate sale.
Charitable donations
It’s common for unsold items to be donated to charities after an estate sale. Many charities will pick up these items without charge, however there are some potential pitfalls to be aware of:
Charities will generally require you to box up items so they can be picked up easily by their drivers, your clothes or kitchenware for example. The drivers will not usually come in to your home to pack these items up for you. This creates extra work for you and if you do not live nearby the property then this may not be a viable option for you.
Charities can have long lead times for pick ups. They may require that you book your pick up several weeks in advance. If you are in a situation where you have an imminent closing on your house sale you may find yourself out of time. If you are considering charity pick ups it’s advisable to book them well in advance of when you need them.
Charities often refuse to take certain items, especially the items you most want them to take like heavy pieces of furniture. Your best chance of making sure these items get picked up is carrying them to the door yourself so the driver doesn’t have to do any extra work. Again, this can be an extra burden on you, which for many estate owners is simply not practical.
Junk removal
Some leftover items remaining unsold after an estate sale may not be worth donating, moving or storing. In these cases the obvious route might be to dispose of them at your local garbage dump or rent a dumpster. Again this is extra work and expense for. the estate owner. There are companies that haul away junk but like the charities they will not gather it for you from all over your house. They will expect you to do that work before they arrive. This option may be viable if you are able and willing to do the extra work.
Hire an estate clean out company
Hiring an estate clean out company is the convenient option for when you don’t have the time, inclination or physical ability to gather up items ready for collection by charities and junk haulers or dispose of them yourself. Most estate liquidators will offer this service, whether as part of their estate sale agreement or as an add on. They will box up all small items and ensure that everything is removed from the home. While they will typically do this by organizing charitable pick ups and drop offs themselves, or hauling the items away for disposal, the main benefit to you is that either way they will guarantee to empty your property and there is no preparation work required on your part. This process can usually be completed within a day or two of the end of your estate sale, so this is the obvious choice for when you’re in a time crunch.