Estate sales are on-premises sales of household items; it is the most efficient
and financially rewarding way to dispose of personal property in the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area. Items are sold from the home of the owner.
Great Expectations Estate Sales, LLC has been in business since 1980, serving
an average of 35 families per year.
Great Expectations acts as agent in the
sale of personal property in a manner similar to a real estate company's representation
of the owner in the sale of a home. Once the family has decided what to keep
and has removed those items, then the home is prepared in such a way as to turn
it into a small store or boutique. Every item is displayed and priced, from
precious antiques to everyday household items.
To prepare a sale takes several days of set-up (organizing, displaying, pricing,
and advertising).
The sale itself takes place over the weekend - Thursday through
Saturday or Friday through Sunday or longer, depending on the quantity of sale
items. Afterwards, one day of cleanup and removal can be expected.
Our business began because of a definite need; it is difficult for family members to sell their own belongings due to the emotional attachment to the family home and memories associated with it. The customer also finds it hard to buy from the owner, worrying about why the owner is selling personal effects and feeling like trespassers.
Great Expectations, as the owner's agent, transforms the home into a place of business and objectively presents the items to the customers. Items are sold to people who appreciate the items they buy and will continue traditions in their own families-- a great way to recycle.
People buy and sell real estate several times over a course of a lifetime but few have sold a house full of personal property. Great Expectations provides this service; we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Please call (301) 762-6826.
Once the owner decides what is to be sold, our services are provided right up to settlement.
The services performed by Great Expectations Estate Sales include set-up, pricing, advertising, conducting the sale, removal of unsold items, appraisers' fees, overseeing cleanup and leaving the premises broom clean. We have access to painters, plumbers, moving experts and moving companies that are called upon to assist as necessary, a valuable and cost effective service.
We have a friendly and intelligent staff; they are knowledgeable about the items for sale and familiar with estate sale customers. Entry into the home is controlled by a numbering system. To control access, approximately 15 people are admitted into the home at one time.
Anything that has ever been acquired at any time or any place may well sell in an estate sale. Great Expectations sells property without regard to whether it was bought by your family a hundred years ago or yesterday at the local drug store.
Cars, antiques, furniture, lamps, wall art, silver, china, furs, figures, rugs, toys, books, records, stationery, playing cards, appliances, utensils, pots and pans, glassware, bath and table linens, clothing accessories, purses, gloves, hats, scarves, precious and costume jewelry, workbenches, power and garden tools are only examples of what can and will be sold for the owner. If we feel that some unique items deserve another market, such as a New York and/or European auction house, then we explore those markets.
The items unsold remain the property of the owner, who decides what you is done with them in the end. Great Expectations sells about 90% of all items in the home. Items that do not sell are removed upon request.
When a sale is accepted, we pay for advertising and staff salaries. Our fee is either a minimum or a percentage of gross sales and is always competitive.
Great Expectations works for the owner, who receives a check in the end.
Fees for trash removal and disposal and some cleaning fees are separate.
Great Expectations uses advertisements in the Washington Post and perhaps a local paper, its web site, flyers and street signs to attract buyers to the sale.
Estate sales have become very popular and Great Expectations has many loyal customers who come hoping to find both treasures and bargains; these satisfied customers increase sales. Prices in estate sales may range from 50 cents to $10,000.00. Every item is priced and sold individually, which results in an impressive total amount.
Most sales attract 400-600 people; as many as a thousand potential purchasers have come to a sale. Pricing is firm the first day and as the sale progresses, items are systematically reduced in price, so the company stays in control of the amount each item sells for.
