How do offers/bids work at your sales?

Off/Bid Details:

All items are full price on the first two days of the sale.  However, during those two days, you may leave an offer/bid that is over the half-price amount on any items regularly priced $25.00 or more.  (The offer must be over the half price amount and you must be the highest offer to "win".)  If the item sells full price during the first two days, then, of course, the offers are discarded.  If any item has not sold by closing on Friday, we go to the offer/bid box and the person with the highest offer on an item will be contacted and they will be able to pick up that purchase on Saturday morning.  Any item that has not sold during the first two days of the sale and has no offers will be half price when the doors open on Saturday morning.  *Occasionally an item will not be included in the half price sale and that will be posted on the price tag from day one.


What do you charge to conduct a sale?

We make a complimentary visit with the family at the estate home to answer any questions and to determine the amount of work involved in conducting that particular sale.  We work on a commission basis, so after the visit, we inform the family of the percentage amount we would charge to conduct their sale.


What happens to the items that are left at the end of a sale?

We receive a commission based on the amount for the items that are sold during a sale.  Any items remaining after the sale is finished belong to the homeowner.  Some estate sale companies say they will "help" the homeowner by hauling away any leftover items, but since that could call into question their incentive to sell the items for a percentage during the sale when they can haul away the items for themselves after the sale is finished, we suggest a contract that clearly shows the remaining items belong to the homeowner.  However, we do help the homeowner make arrangements to donate the remaining items to a charity of their choice or put them in touch with someone who will purchase the last of the items.  Any remaining antique pieces can be sold on consignment at our Hillsboro Antique Mall. We are fortunate, that with our large customer base, we have very little left after a sale is finished.  What little remains is neatly left for the homeowner.


how much time is needed to prepare for a sale?

This would, of course, depend on the size of the home and the work involved in preparing that particular home for a sale.  Homes with a large amount of small items, especially those that need research for pricing, will take much longer than a sale with rooms of large items.  To help a family in a crisis, we have completed the work on a home in very long work days of only one week, but we have also worked in a large home for several weeks in our sale preparation.  The amount of time needed will be determined during the initial complimentary visit with the homeowner.


Can I live in the home while you prepare for a sale?

Since our work in a home involves emptying every closet, cupboard, drawer and cabinet, setting up our tables/displays throughout the home and turning the entire home into a showroom, it is impossible for someone to live in the home while we work.  


Was all of this really in one home?

People are sometimes surprised at the amount of items on display in an estate home.  However, remember that in our own homes, many items are hidden away in the closets, drawers, cupboards, cabinets, attics, etc.  When all of those items are emptied onto tables and placed on display in the home, there can appear to be too much for one home to hold.  Occasionally, if a homeowner doesn't have enough for a sale on their own, we will combine two estates in one home.  That is necessary for homes in some gated communities because they are not allowed to have a sale conducted on the property.  Their items can be moved and included in the home of another owner who doesn't have enough for a sale of their own.  When we conduct a combination sale, that is always explained in the advertising.


is there a third sister?

Yes, we have a younger sister, but she does not work in the estate sale business.  For years, the three of us were very active in sweepstakes and contests, becoming some of the biggest sweepstakes winners in the country.  In the sweepstaking community at that time, we were known as Those Three Sisters.  Too, we all homeschooled our children and had other similar interests, so people would always say, "You know......it's those three sisters."  The name worked and we think it still does.