There can be many reasons for an estate auction. At times it may be a “partial” or “living” estate auction. This may occur upon a death when the surviving spouse is forced to downsize or perhaps needs closure. Other times it may be a happy event when a retiring couple purchases a new motor home and sells everything that won’t fit inside so they can live out their retirement years as they’ve always dreamed. Of course estate auctions are typically associated with the complete liquidation due to a death when the family or a professional executor is faced with liquidating a house full of personal property that represents a lifetime.

Whatever the reason for the sale an estate auction marks the end of an era, and whether it is a 500 acre farm and working cattle ranch in Idaho or a modest house in the suburbs of Dallas it deserves to be treated professionally and with dignity. As professional auctioneers we have over the years been entrusted with the responsibility to manage, market, and conduct these types of sales and it’s a privilege and honor we don’t take lightly. Many times the client is a family member in another state trying to deal with the loss of a loved one. Other times it may be a professional executor with a fiduciary responsibility to act in a beneficiary’s best interest. In either case the client needs a professional auction company that will work to protect the seller’s interest and handle the sale professionally.

Successful estate auctions don’t just happen, they need to be marketed properly. Depending on the estate this will most likely include online advertising as well as print, targeted direct mail and email advertising. There are also many other considerations that need to be addressed to protect the clients’ interest and create a successful sale such as:

• How will preview be handled?
• Presentation of the items
• Parking considerations
• Crowd control
• Security
• How will the merchandise be lotted?
• In what order should the lots be sold?
• How to stage the sale for comfort of the buyers?
• How and where to handle registration to maintain an orderly flow?
• How and where to create checkout for security and efficiency?