The Many Hats of an Estate Liquidator

July 19, 2016 | Julie Hall

I first published this article on The American Society of Estate Liquidators® (ASEL) website in October 2014. I thought you’d appreciate the information as you select a professional estate liquidator to help you downsize or clean out a parent’s home. If you’ve already used an ASEL liquidator, I’d love to hear your comments on the many hats they wear.

Many Hats Estate Liquidator Many people are under the impression that an estate liquidator is someone who puts on glorified yard sales. Nothing could be further from the truth! Professional estate liquidators wear many hats on any given day with a common goal for their client as well as for themselves:

to maximize sale proceeds,
lighten the burden of our client families,
treat each other with respect, and
help our clients move forward.

In the process of doing so, we must possess a great deal of knowledge to guide our clients along the way. We don’t just organize and set up for a sale. We:

clean items that haven’t seen the light of day in decades,
tirelessly research these items,
make calls to private buyers that we know will be interested in a particular item or collection,
figure out the best way to set up to maximize the sale,
price items appropriately,
coordinate sending high-end items to proper selling venues,
coordinate all crews,
manage our clients, and the list goes on.

Often the client is not aware of just how much back-breaking work and time is invested before the door ever opens for the estate sale. We take 50, 60, 70 years of accumulation and sort through it, research it, clean it, organize it and sell it within a week or so. That’s amazing in and of itself! It is up to us to educate our clients so they do understand that we truly earn our commission and do our very best for them.

Below you find just a sampling of what professional estate liquidators engage in every single day, early mornings to late evenings, and seven days a week.

We have bled, sweat, and cried our way through some estates, and dealt with poor working conditions too. There isn’t much we’re afraid of; we tackle the task at hand like a linebacker.

We wear this challenging badge with honor because we love what we do, no matter how much we get beat up in the process.

Detective – We sort through years of long forgotten items that have been crammed in boxes and cubbies. Often family cannot find important papers (titles, Will) or a sentimental item, but many times we find them. We know where to look, have a good idea of where things could be hidden, and we know what these items are, or how to find out. This is the fun part!

Archeologist – We dig and dig and dig. By the end of the day, we are covered in dirt. We unearth one layer at a time searching for old artifacts and treasures. We handle carefully and lovingly the items we uncover which have value or meaning. This is painstaking, but necessary.

Magician – While it appears to the client that we made it all disappear as if by magic, we know the levels of complexity it takes to empty the estate. “Can you do a sale this weekend?” There is no magic. Only hard work, the ability to professionally multi-task, knowing the right people, and selecting the right staff.

Bellhop – Who’s carrying the family baggage; the client, you, or both? Stay focused and advise as necessary. Our ears are bent with family lore (and who did what to whom)!

Firefighter – Estate professionals put out fires every day, whether it comes from prospective buyers or the sellers, or anything in between, including the emotions our clients go through.

Police/Law Enforcement – We keep peace and order in these estates, enforce our ethical policies, “law down the law” according to the rules for how each sale should be run. These are in place to ensure a pleasant estate sale day, encourage good behavior, and keep the flow moving.

Counselor/Clergy – We listen, validate, encourage, support, and hear confessions and stories. It is part of our job to offer support, including emotional support within reason.

Accountant/Administrator – Pay the bills/employees, handle the contracts, handle brokering details, tally estate proceeds; we do it all.

Umpire – Calling “safe” and “out” for not only attendees and clients, but also monitoring our staff conduct and ourselves as well.

Train Conductor – We prevent derailment, get everyone on-board, and get the clients where they need to be.

Psychic – Can you predict human behavior based on all of your estate experience? Yes, you can. We’re very good at reading people and understanding motives.

Nurse/Doctor – Not only do we help heal many of our clients who are heavy laden and would have a very difficult time going through the process alone, we must remember the most important rule: First, do no harm. Clients come first. In the literal sense, we have all mastered first aid, as we bleed in nearly every estate!

Construction worker – We build this business from the ground up and create a very strong, honest/ethical foundation to weather the storms. If the foundation is not strong, we need to rebuild, remodel, tear down, or bring in a new addition.

Referee – Keeping the peace on all sides, at all times.

These are just a few of the many hats estate sale professionals wear on any given day, but there are many more that often go unnoticed; employer, exterminator, garbage man, dumpster gal, recycler, haul/drop-off person, organizer, companion, cleaning service, broker, miner, etc.

How much can one truly professional estate liquidator accomplish? It’s all in a day’s work!

Julie Hall, The Estate Lady®, is the foremost national expert on personal property in estates, including liquidating, advising, and appraising. http://www.TheEstateLady.com She is also the Director of American Society of Estate Liquidators®, the national educational and resource organization for estate liquidation. http://www.aselonline.com.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at julie@theestatelady.com.

The Blockade

July 14, 2016 | Julie Hall

Obstacles are everywhere in life:

The teenager left a mound of clothes to step over
You’re stuck in morning traffic
Everyone’s in the kitchen at the same time
You reach the grocery checkout and there’s long lines

Think about how much time is spent waiting to either go around or jump over obstacles and you’ll see it’s an astounding amount of time we can never regain.

In one aspect of life, I see obstacles where they should not be. In my estates, I work closely with boomer children to guide them in making solid decisions regarding their parents’ possessions:

what should be sold
how it should be sold
how to maximize the sale
options and resources

My work also places me in the nitty-gritty of “family affairs”, many situations that are not for the faint of heart. In the last few years, I am seeing siblings doing things against each other more than ever before, and I call it The Blockade.

A good example of The Blockade is when one sibling moves in with a parent, either to help with their needs or because the sibling is financially strapped and needs a place to live. Often, it is both. This sibling is usually helpful with the parent and keeps the home clean, helps cook, cares for mom, etc. The problem takes place after mom is placed in another residence like assisted living or passes away. Getting that sibling to move out of the family home can take an act of God. Literally.

I see these children (not all, but many of them) not want to budge and often force the hand of the executor. Sometimes they feel justified because they did so much work and offered care for the parent. I understand that. However the entitlement mentality does not belong here at this place and time, because mom’s will often stipulates the home is to be sold and possessions divided.

Rarely is this sibling the executor or legal decision maker. Since I work with the legal decision maker, I get a front row seat to this event. Sad to watch! The sibling living in the home will use it as a storage facility, settling in for the long run and making life very hard on the other siblings and especially the executor. Resentment grows; you can figure out the remainder of the story.

I have seen these refusing-to-budge siblings throw fits, threaten, etc. The bottom line is if the legal documents are prepared ahead of time and the instructions are clear that the home is to be sold and divided among the heirs, that is what must be carried out.

It is not okay to be The Blockade. I can see both sides and I understand the emotional ties to a home and possessions can be very strong. But nothing ever stays the same. Everything transitions to some other place. Life is ever-changing. Sometimes things cannot remain the same, even if we want them to.

This is about the parent’s wishes and fulfilling them for ALL involved!

I recently had the pleasure of working with an executor who had to deal with this situation. He did not want to hurt his sibling. He had already been incredibly patient. His situation was fairly simple as the will specified what had to be done. I encouraged him to:

Document correspondence to that sibling, including emails and certified letters, stressing mom’s will be followed.
Offer the sibling a fair amount of time to vacate and give a date when they will need to be moved out to a new home. (This sibling had been dragging their feet for a year now.) They might say they have no money and no place to live, but they have to put forth effort and do what is legally and morally right. If they are in ill-health, try to help them with local resources.
Enlist the advice of an attorney if you cannot resolve this issue on your own. No one wants to do this, but in some cases, you may have to meet one to find out the best course of action because of all the problems arising from The Blockade. Perhaps it can be resolved peacefully, which is optimal for everyone.
Hire a realtor.
Be present, or have a representative present, when they do move out. In this case, items were disappearing daily which is certainly not fair to the other siblings. Have the locks changed immediately after the sibling leaves.
Hire an estate sale professional immediately after they have moved out to sell the contents of the home. www.ASELonline.com
Everyone move forward with their lives. Try your best to keep the peace.

Life is hard enough without added obstacles. Do your best to never become one. If you know someone who is currently The Blockade, talk to them about how their actions are impacting others. The goal is to be part of the resolution, not part of the problem.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at julie@theestatelady.com.

The Real Value of Our Antiques and Heirlooms

May 6, 2016 | Julie Hall

We each have items in our homes that came from a loved one, passed down through the years. To us, these items are special, unique, and valuable. Sometimes, these items are even more special, unique, and valuable because of our feelings towards the loved one who gave it to us.

If you can, place those feelings to the side for a moment. We really need to have a fresh understanding about the market, the economy, and what our heirlooms are really worth. As an appraiser, I come to the table as an objective third party who has the ability to look at items through new, yet somewhat critical eyes, much like a detective.

I see flaws others may not.

I see condition issues others may not.

I see that someone drilled a hole through the bottom of a Ming Dynasty vase because they wanted it to be a lamp (ugh!).

I see that someone uses 21st century screws to reinforce an 18th century piece.

However, there is more to it than that; we must dig a little deeper to get to the crux of the matter.

The truth is that in today’s market, a c.1830s bird’s eye maple English chest will sell for far less than a “Made in China” piece you can buy at Rooms to Go or IKEA. I saw it with my own eyes at an auction recently. The gorgeous English chest sold for $100 and the black lacquer Oriental chest made 30 days ago sold for $350.

WHY?

Gone are the days of truly caring about quality.

dark traditional ornate bedroom

Gone are the days of the younger generations wanting traditional furnishings.

In are the days of how the item looks and functions. Maybe not for all of us. This trend is picking up speed and we see more of it as each day passes. Size and space also enter into the equation, since we are in the middle of a major simplification trend. Both our homes and our furnishings are getting smaller.

I address the older generations when I say this and I hope it will be realized:

Dark brown furniture gives the younger generation the willies just to look at it.

dark heavy china cabinet

Boomers don’t want any more of it, and are trying to downsize and let go of the dark heavy furnishings, as we speak! Being surrounded by heavy, large, dark furniture is not what people want today, let alone my daughter’s generation. She doesn’t want it now and she will not want it later. It won’t pay to pressure her or store items for her.

It doesn’t matter how old it is.

It doesn’t matter what you paid for it.

It doesn’t mean anything to a stranger or the public who come to purchase it.

If we don’t want it and our children don’t want it, others will not want it either.

dark heavy dining room

Of course there are exceptions to every rule and all families are different. But if we dare to peek into the future, what will become of the older, dark furnishings in 2 years? 5 years? 15 years?

Those of us in the industry have seen a steady decline since 2008 so it is no surprise to us. It’s alright that not everyone will accept what we have to say, but at least, listen to the market. It has spoken loud and clear!

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com

Unthinkable, Unethical, Unlawful ~ Good Grief!

April 21, 2016 | Julie Hall

Most professionals that work within the estate industry hear and see things that defy logic and make our hair stand straight on end. This story is one of them.

Imagine your sibling is very ill, in the process of passing away in hospice. Most of us would be doing all we can for our family, the children, the spouse, being present and offering support in any way to ease the pain they are going through. Most of us would also be spending those last precious moments together with the loved sibling. That is what family is for.

But some families think of other things that wouldn’t even enter into our minds. While the ill sibling is unresponsive in a coma, a sibling helps themselves to not only their jewelry and silver, but their credit cards taken straight from their purse. Worse, yet, they USED the credit cards throughout the last week of the sibling’s life and even after they had passed away. Does anyone out there have the right words to describe this, because I am so appalled, I cannot print what I would really like to say?

I believe it is unlawful to use someone else’s credit cards and certainly unlawful after their death, if you are not named on the account. Everything can be tracked these days. They always find the culprit right down to getting receipts, video recorded at the store, etc. So I ask a question that my mind is not capable of understanding: WHY would anyone do this when life is hanging by a thread and all they can think of is stuff? Unethical, YES. Unthinkable, YES. I cannot even wrap my head around it.

Shoes, purses, jewelry, and all the silver or gold in the world doesn’t mean a thing when a loved one dies. It doesn’t mean a thing when we die. They are just pretty things that we use for awhile. They take up space and take money out of our accounts. But seriously? On a deathbed?

What is becoming of our world? Are there people out there so devoid of compassion or kindness that they fill their void doing things that are unthinkable? I’ve seen cases like this in the past, but they happen more frequently and it is most disconcerting to witness.

Yet another reason to have a plan in place, tell those closest to you what you want, and back it up with legal documents. If there are those you don’t trust, let those that you do trust know this too.

Maybe the best investment we can make is a safe in our homes, offering the combination to only your executor or in sealed documents to be opened upon your passing. Gift items while you are still living. Have your power of attorney gather all personal possessions (such as your wallet) and secure them until such a time as legal affairs are sorted out.

I’m still shaking my head in disbelief!

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com

Think Before You Throw!

April 11, 2016 | Julie Hall

Do it for the earth, do it for extra space, and do it for your pocket!

Donating, recycling, and selling are the way to go when downsizing or handling an estate. Selling will provide cash for your unwanted items, especially if you have a professional help you. Donating can also provide a tax deduction or help a worthy cause. Use your imagination when deciding where things could go, other than black trash bags! Can someone use your items in some form or fashion? This is the ultimate in recycling.

Remember the following when faced with thinning out your home’s contents or when you may not have enough for an estate sale:

Have the neighbors in for free household chemicals, garden/yard tools, etc.
Create a donation network by discussing what you have to give.
Keep watch for charity drives in your community.
Web search for places to sell or donate items.
Gazelle.com, techforward.com, and others offer varying compensation for electronics.
You can recycle computers at Good Will or Geek Squad.
Paper, cardboard, and scrap metal are commodities that are traded. Find a buyer locally. Sites like boxcycle.com and usedcardboardboxes.com pay cash for boxes.
Scrap metal and other household metals, photo frames, etc. are wanted by artists. If you take scrap metal to the right place, you can end up with some $$ in your wallet.
Charities are in a funding crisis. Paper, books, games and toys help daycares, senior centers, and after-school programs. Give them a call; they are happy to give you a wish list.
Alzheimer’s facilities are always looking for clean linens, towels, nice dolls, stuffed bears, etc.
Many religious organizations/groups set up homes for refugees, domestic abuse victims, disabled adults, etc. They need many everyday items and toiletries that you no longer need.
Old sheets and towels, leashes, and pet bowls are very much needed by local pet shelters.
Check with local drama programs (high school, college) for their wish list. Some will welcome “vintage” clothing and accessories, and even paints and fabrics for prop and set design.
Inventory the home before buying materials. Garbage bags, boxes, and cleaning supplies are normally already in the house.

Remember, one person’s trash is another man’s treasure!

With my prediction of millions of households being liquidated in the next few decades, the very thought of the amount of trash the U.S. will generate is mind-boggling. Do your part to help others and the environment too!

What other resources do you know about in your area for donating, selling, and recycling? Feel free to share ideas in the comment section below.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com

10 Estate Behavior Commands

March 8, 2016 | Julie Hall

With great reverence for God’s 10 commandments, here are the basic rules which should be followed in any and every estate situation. Often, we aren’t thinking clearly in the middle of the estate settlement and distribution process.

While there are no laws that pertain to human behavior when handling an estate and the distribution of property, these commandments should be “etched in stone” to remind us how we should behave.

Thou shalt not worship material possessions. They can be a monkey on your back and, ultimately, you can’t take them with you.
Greed and the love of possessions can be false idols which can, and often do, ruin families.
Don’t forget to take Sabbath for yourself. We all need time and space to breathe and reflect.
Honor your loved one that just passed away. Take actions that would respect them and make them proud.
Thou shalt not kill thy family relationships by destroying your chance to find peaceful resolutions. Mend your fences.
Do not cheat anyone, including yourself, in the estate distribution process.
Thou shalt not steal anything, even if you think no one is watching. Someone is always watching.
Thou shalt not throw thy sibling(s) under the bus. What goes around often comes around.
Thou shalt not covet anything a sibling gets. It’s not worth it; let it go.
Stay true to who you are and walk as straight a path as possible. Not only is immediate family watching, but your children and grandchildren as well. Set an excellent example.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com

The Bird, My Teacher

February 19, 2016 | Julie Hall

Everyone needs to renew and restore their spirit every now and again, especially in such a hurried society. Some people go away to the country or the beach where they find solitude and solace as a remedy for feeling overwhelmed and worn out. It is a good thing to do so. But do we really journey inside ourselves and heal what’s in there? I’m willing to stick my neck out and say I don’t necessarily think so.

Today as I approached my car in the driveway, I saw a kooky little bird sitting on the driver’s side mirror, behaving in the strangest manner. It was completely enamored with its reflection in the mirror. Its little feet danced and it bobbed its head like crazy, joyous that it found an amiable friend … one that looks just like it! It was so preoccupied with its reflection that it was not deterred by my presence only 3 feet away. The next thing you know, the little bird side-stepped along the rim of the driver’s side mirror until he was completely upside down, flapping its wings and having a wonderful time looking at its new friend.

bird-looking-in-rear-view-mirror

Don’t you wish we could greet ourselves each day in the mirror just like this?

Everything is relative. The little bird does not have the advanced intellect to realize it was him in the reflection, yet he was a free spirit having the time of its life. When we, the highest created intellect on earth, look in the mirror, we don’t see who we really are or even like the reflection we see. We are too self-critical. So many of us really don’t want to go there, but we need to, in order to restore ourselves and make peace with the person inside.

I’ve been pretty hard on myself lately. The fat fairy keeps visiting me (the wench!), and middle age has settled in, not to mention all that comes with that fact. When I saw that little bird who was so happy to see itself, I thought, “Why can’t we all be more like that?”

Nature has always been amazing to observe. It teaches us lessons if we pay attention. Because of that little bird, I will look at myself with more enthusiasm from now on. How could you not smile when you witness something like that … a tiny creature with a Herculean spirit. An important lesson for us all.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com.

“Skeletons,” Secrets Cause Strife

February 5, 2016 | Julie Hall

From cleaning out estates all these years, I have learned that many people have “skeletons” that need to be dealt with prior to their passing.

In the land of the forgotten (attics, boxes in the back of the closet, locked trunks, hidden in barns or sheds, etc), we find things I can’t even talk about without teary eyes. I do my best to let go, or tuck these things away somewhere in a spare brain compartment, hoping not to think of them too often.

It is not unusual to find love letters, adoption papers for a child that never knew they were adopted, or evidence of an extramarital affair. On occasion though, we find things like suicide notes, drug abuse issues, different levels of pornography … some so bizarre it challenges my understanding of humans. These still leave a mark of sadness upon one’s soul.

We see the dark portals in people’s lives after they leave. We will never have a clear understanding of why these people did what they did, made certain decisions, or why on earth they would ever leave those secrets behind to be found. I think to myself how fortunate it was that my company was the one who found those items, instead of a family member who may be traumatized for the rest of their life. It is my cross to carry … discretion and protection.

Uncovering these secrets casts a shadow which can change your feelings about the person who has died, not to mention seriously tarnishes their personal legacy.

Some things need to be told to the family

and some secrets need to go to the grave with the deceased loved one.

Remember: The dead cannot defend themselves or their actions.

It is difficult to write these things. We must not only think about ourselves and what we desire, but we must think about those we leave behind and what they may find.

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Clean your home and clean your life!

Leave a legacy, not strife!

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com.

Perils of Preposterous Pricing, Part 2

January 28, 2016 | Julie Hall

Older “die-hard” collectors are passing away and selling their massive collections all at once. So who is going to buy all these items? Some will be sold to today’s collectors, though far fewer in number than serious collectors years ago. Hence, these collections are saturating the market, driving prices and values lower. Too much supply, not enough demand.

Let’s return to the seller wanting to sell items they believe are valuable just because mom paid a fortune for them. They believe what they have is special and unique. Most of the time, figurines, china, collector’s plates, glassware, Victorian furniture and the like have saturated the market because millions of our moms and dads are passing away. Boomers are downsizing. Generation X and Y don’t want these items. Millennials are into themselves, not material possessions. These younger generations collect virtually, not materially.

When an heir is looking to sell Lenox, Waterford, Hummel, Franklin Mint, Depression glass, antique furniture, large wardrobes, entertainment centers, and china hutches, the estate experts only have to show how very flooded the market is to get the consumers to understand that these items are now worth very little.

When I look on Ebay and see a “sterling silver lot of 50 grams,” I wonder why on earth one would attempt to sell it for $200 when it would barely get $30 with the current spot price of silver, unless it was a unique designer piece or desirable manufacturer. Asking outrageous prices for items that are clearly not worth it any longer will backfire on the seller.

It is what it is. No expert, myself included, can alter these trends of simplification, downsizing, and squeezing more bang out of a buyer’s buck than we already do. The market is speaking and we need to listen.

Another issue? Many people with a smart phone in their hand believe they are an expert. I can assure you they are not. They just Google over-inflated prices, unless they are wanting to buy. If they are buyers, they search for the lowest possible prices in hopes of getting an item at a small cost. These issues are just the tip of the iceberg for what experts are dealing with as they handle personal property while managing clients’ expectations.

It takes an expert many years to understand trends, observe patterns, know how to maximize value, and offer the best value for the client. Do-it-yourselfers often do themselves a disservice by not enlisting the assistance of a professional who is experienced in all of the above.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com.

Perils of Preposterous Pricing, Part 1

January 18, 2016 | Julie Hall

Where do people come up with these prices and values? Understanding the difference between what was paid for an item and what you can sell the item for in today’s market is like the difference between buying a new car and selling it used. Depreciation has taken place in most cases. Much has changed in the secondary marketplace. Sellers must realize that there must first be someone who wants the item (demand) in order for it to have and hold value.

People still call my office to inform me of what their items are worth, even though they are hiring me to find out. I don’t normally mind when they say they already know the value because they “found it on the internet.”. Many of them have it wrong or have searched incorrectly. They see an “asking” price – a ridiculously high dollar figure that came from someone else’s head – which is now stuck in their head. They would like to believe and hope that this is the value.

The responsibility for sharing valuation knowledge with clients falls to all estate experts. We have to help clients set reasonable expectations. Some people will heed what we have to say, while others will continue to believe that if it was valuable in 1982, it must be more valuable today. These individuals are in for a rude awakening, resulting in anger and frustration which they will probably take out on the individual selling their items for them.

Who comes up with values? Ultimately, it used to fall on the serious collectors who set trends and values. Marketability and collect-ability are somewhat related. If an item belongs to a category of objects that people desire and collect, then logically that item’s value increases. However, we need to consider that the current market is fairly saturated with many of the collectibles that were highly sought after 20, 30, 40+ years ago, back when our parents’ generation paid top dollar for them.

Older “die-hard” collectors are passing away and selling their massive collections all at once. We’ll look at how this complicates the market and depresses the values next week in “Perils of Preposterous Pricing, Part 2”.

No part of The Estate Lady® blogs, whole or partial, may be used without Julie Hall’s written consent. Email her at Julie@TheEstateLady.com.