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We're going through the giant de-crapification project now. We're moving from 4600 sq ft to 2000 sq ft.
Here's our plan:
1. Have an auction house take the items with the most value, e.g. antiques, furniture, firearms. They do charge a 35% commish. However, it's well worth it because they deal with all the transactions, shipping, and marketing. I have neither the patience nor the expertise to deal with the public. "A man needs to know his limitations."
2. Since we are moving to a specific house, we have all the room dimensions. Therefore, agree upon what goes where. Pack up only those items. Plan a specific move date. Decide how that move will be done.
3. Donate some items to Goodwill, e.g. clothing, shoes, kitchen gadgets.
4. The rest goes into the bin. We're staging a pile of stuff jammed into 39 gallon trash bags. When the time comes, the dumpster company will deliver a huge bin to the driveway. The rental period is one week. Fill it up. They haul it away.
5. Clear out the house, have it professionally cleaned. Have the oak floors professionally re-finished. Do minor drywall repairs and paint repairs.
6. Interview about 5 Realtors and let them explain how the benefit of their expertise will justify the expense. Ask them how you should prepare the house to maximize your return. Tell them when you'll make a choice. Choose the best one.
7. List the house. Let the competitive bidding begin.
The consignment thing might work. I didn't think of that. Thank you for the idea.
I should have been more clear. I really don't have the time to pack up and sell things on Ebay one-by-one and bring them to the post office, etc (for the smaller stuff). And I don't have the time to keep having people come over to the house to buy one thing at a time. I work full time, am a single mom, and when I move, it will be my daughter's senior year at high school which will mean a lot of other things will be going on that will take up my time (from senior year stuff, to visiting colleges, graduation, etc).
It's literally a house full of stuff. That's why I was thinking estate sale (all in one weekend, people come in and buy what they want and leave). I could advertise an estate sale on Facebook or Craigslist though (if I do it myself instead of hiring an estate company).
I am trying to strike a balance between the most money saving decision along with the best time saving decision.
Not sure if anyone else pointed this out already, but you can list things on ebay as free local pick up. If you list large furnitures, people are probably not gonna want to pay for shipping anyways. And if people contact you about coming to see a listing, you can ask if they want to bring some extra cash to also see your other items for sale. Not as convenient as hiring someone to sell your stuff or a garage sale, but could work if some stuff don’t sell after a couple of garage sales.
As you know, the woman who owned my house previously got rid of EVERY SINGLE THING before she moved out of the country - except for what would fit into two suitcases. WOW.
The way she did it was she had a resale company come get some of her stuff, and she put the word out - I think via FB and then FB Marketplace for some items, which she sold. She donated most of the small items and clothes. She had an extensive collection of FiestaWare and she asked a friend to try to sell it but she said if it doesn't sell in a few months to just donate it somewhere. She put a lot of stuff out on the curb and people came and got it almost immediately. She threw away a lot of things too.
She did it and so can you GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
Oh, and I downsized from 2700 square feet to 2200 - which doesn't sound like a lot but it also included a storage building and an oversized garage and attic, which was pretty full. Plus a huge yard and tons of patio space, pergolas, pool, fire pit, you name it, so I had a lot to get rid of. I did so by much the same process though I didn't use FB Marketplace. I was able to sell most of what I wanted to sell to friends and acquaintances and neighbors by just putting the word out that I was selling. I had people coming by for weeks buying stuff. I gave them really good deals too so that was helpful. Win Win because I sure didn't want to move this stuff!
When I moved I still had a few things that ended up just being "too much." Not a lot of stuff but a few items - a lamp, a side table, an ottoman, a set of chairs, that sort of thing. I donated those to a good cause and I feel fine about that. They were nice items that I could have sold - my gosh, I was going to put them in my house. But it would have been a hassle to sell them and this good cause needed them so once again, everyone wins.
Okay, I think I have a plan formulated. Thank you for all the help and input.
I found two other similar threads (in the retirement forum of all places and the moving forum--which I didn't notice before) about downsizing and read people's stories and got ideas. I started looking for all the stuff I hope to get rid on Ebay.
After I move out the few things I am keeping, stay in a nearby hotel and do these things...
Step #1 - The furniture I am getting rid of, even the non "brown" furniture doesn't seem to sell. It's cheap online and no bids. Maybe one or two pieces have one bid. I am not even sure if it would sell during an estate sale as they aren't antiques or anything like that. And after I more closely inspected it all, I found chips and scuff marks. So it's not in tip-top shape. But it is still clean and solid and very usable. So for the big furniture (dining room table and chairs, two bedroom sets, family room couch and chairs, book shelves, and storage cabinets), I am going to contact Habitat for Humanity and let them haul it all away and take the tax write off.
Step #2 - It seems like most of my smaller household goods are sellers on Ebay--all with lots of bids and good prices. Things like my good Kitchen Aid mixer, the tools I am looking to unload, other kitchen gadgets, etc. Near the time I move out (since I still need most of this stuff for day-to-day living) I might just have a huge weekend yard sale and sell what I can. By Sunday, I will just give everything else away. Whatever is left goes to step 3.
Step #3 - Monday after the garage sale, call a junk haul away company for whatever is left from #2 and stuff I knew I was going to junk anyway. As much as I like the dumpster idea, I looked into it and it won't work. As I said, my front yard is a small garden and my driveway (again, I live in a townhouse). A dumpster would have to ruin the garden and would block the driveway. I would have to park a dumpster in the common road area and I found out fro the HOA that's a no-go. But with no furniture (and since I don't have a lot of clutter or stuff in closets and such... even now) I won't need more than one whole junk truck... $600 tops and they load the truck.
After Monday, have people buff wood floors, clean, paint, and do all that jazz to sell. Put it on the market that following weekend. I know they say empty houses don't sell as well, but I don't know if I believe that or not. Ever since I lived here empty houses have sold in days. So I don't think that's an issue.
You have all been very helpful! I know I didn't follow all the advice from all of you. But I have the advantage of knowing better what's in my house, what might sell (by comparing it to Ebay) and what might be worth doing.
I am trying to figure out the best way to get rid of most of a houseful of stuff when I sell my house and move (I am downsizing in 11 months... greatly). This includes furniture (nothing too expensive but not the cheapest either) to include living room, dining room, and two bedroom sets, office furniture and storage shelves, oriental rugs, dishes and crystal, silverware, kitchen appliances, TVs, decorations, etc. My wild guess is there is less than $10,000 worth of goods in the house to get rid of.
Literally, I am moving from a 2000 sq ft townhouse and what I want to keep I can fit into the back of a 10' U-Haul.
My thought was estate sale, but I know very little about those. I also thought about yard sale this summer for a lot of smaller stuff and then, when it's time to move, just donating the larger furniture to charity and writing it off on taxes. I thought about donating the smaller stuff and just having a junk company haul the rest away, including the furniture when it's time (but I know that would be the most expensive option and the furniture, while not perfect, isn't junk either). Someone even suggested to me to sell the house "fully furnished" (I am not sure if anyone would really want that though).
Since there are a lot of Realtors here, I figure someone must have some experience with this (or know about the details of what might work). Or maybe someone else here has experience emptying out a house either to downsize or was involved when a relative died and the house needed to be emptied and sold.
In your opinion, what was the best option as far as saving money and ease of ridding oneself of so much stuff?
If I go the yard sale route, I need to start soon since it's now yard sale season.
Thanks!
I went through this once, on short notice, and managed to accomplish quite a bit.
Furniture: seek out consignment shops in your area. Take photos to show them. Whatever they don't take, give to Goodwill or other charities, if you don't have time to set up and advertise a yard sale.
Sterling silverware can be consigned to shops that take fine dishware and silverware. Ditto the crystal. The oriental carpets can go to the furniture consigners; some do take fine carpets.
Can't you sell your house with the kitchen appliances? Unless they're too old, that's one way to go.
Books, clothes, art, decorative items: Sort by what's resalable (used bookstores, clothing consigners for high-end contemporary labels/styles, some furniture consigners or used art consigners will take fine art, vs. Goodwill for more ordinary and older items.
Google haulers/junk removers in your area. There may be someone who makes a business of hauling other people's unwanted stuff. They donate anything in good condition to charity, and take the rest to the dump for you, or recycling.
I didn't have time to deal with Ebay and other sales strategies. If you do, more power to you.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 05-21-2021 at 11:41 AM..
My uncle died last year. He had been successful in business, and he and my aunt had a very nice home, and I remember them years ago showing us these expensive sculptures. He had more money than anyone else in his immediate family, and he was quite proud of his possessions.
But he kept working in his business well into his 70s, and my mother often wondered out loud if my aunt didn't wish they could move out to the west coast where both daughters had gone and married and had children. They took frequent trips out there, but they continued to live in New Jersey and spent some time in the winter in Florida, where he also had business contacts and played golf.
Well, he died last January at 81, and my mother died two months later, and I'd been in touch with another aunt, the widow of my mom's other brother who was closest to my mom.
So last fall I was talking to my closer aunt and she said, "Hey, you know Jane's gone, right?" I said "GONE...?" and she said, "No, no, but that she left New Jersey. Put her house on the market and it sold within a day, then she called her church and told them to come and take all her furniture, her artworks, everything except the few personal items she was taking with her, and she left and moved in with <my cousin> out in Washington State."
Left everything behind, a lifetime of memories and possessions that apparently didn't mean as much to her as they did to her husband.
Also, since you don't have time to sell, do you have a younger relative/neighbor you're friendly with who may want to catalogue your belongings, take pics of them & post them online for a %? If they're a bit older, they can field/set up the appts for you. It will save you time, give them a job & experience & you could do it on a day you'll be home cleaning or working & they can interrupt you with descriptions or pricing info.
As a last resort, Goodwill will p/u for free... well, that was pre-Covid, so you'd better call first. I moved during Covid & they wouldn't visit. I had to pay a hauling co $85 (cheapest I could find & only ones who would visit during a tropical storm) to remove whatever I couldn't fit into my car.
Good luck & congrats on your new home!
ETA: Almost forgot, I have used a company called TaskRabbit before. People set their prices & you can hire for everything from moving to painting to closet organizing. Perhaps they could do the aforementioned... write & photograph whatever your selling & list in online... then you could take over? Just a thought.
Again, thank you to the more recent posters here for your ideas. Like I mentioned, I think I have it all figured out but I am always open to new ideas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Typical.Girl
I've moved many times. Lots of good ideas above.
Also, since you don't have time to sell, do you have a younger relative/neighbor you're friendly with who may want to catalogue your belongings, take pics of them & post them online for a %? If they're a bit older, they can field/set up the appts for you. It will save you time, give them a job & experience & you could do it on a day you'll be home cleaning or working & they can interrupt you with descriptions or pricing info.
As a last resort, Goodwill will p/u for free... well, that was pre-Covid, so you'd better call first. I moved during Covid & they wouldn't visit. I had to pay a hauling co $85 (cheapest I could find & only ones who would visit during a tropical storm) to remove whatever I couldn't fit into my car.
Good luck & congrats on your new home!
ETA: Almost forgot, I have used a company called TaskRabbit before. People set their prices & you can hire for everything from moving to painting to closet organizing. Perhaps they could do the aforementioned... write & photograph whatever your selling & list in online... then you could take over? Just a thought.
Most of my friends and such are like me, working parents with school-aged kids. No one has the time. If my aunt lived closer I would ask her. She sells stuff on Ebay all the time. That's part of the reason I am moving: I live no where near my family and I want to go back home to be near them. My daughter leaving for college next year and the fact that my employer now wants to downsize the office and wants us to telework presents a prime opportunity. I am pretty excited about being near my family again and completely shedding the house and all it's stuff.
I will look into TaskRabbit. I never heard of it before. Although I have painters I already like and I don't need closet organizers... my closets are mostly empty (I don't collect a lot of stuff and just decluttered again this past winter). What I need is someone to clean out my teen daughter's room... haha But it sounds like a good place to go if I want to move using a UHaul. I have people on the other end to help me unload (not just family, but family friends too). The hard part is my end and loading heavy, solid walnut pieces myself.
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