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This is why I buy estates and houses full of items
 

After you understand this story you will understand why I bid, buy or try to get as many as these types of estates as I can find.

I buy what is not attached to the house. The household items or anything that is loose on the property. I have a pre made attorneys agreement to make sure I am protected and get what I pay for.

Example is recently purchased an estate, meaning I bought the entire contents of the home, garage, basement, yard etc. Everything loose included antiques, furniture, collectibles, appliances, etc. We are working a couple hours a day clearing it out and getting the better stuff out asap. In it was hidden jewelry, coins, foreign money, stocks certs etc we did not even see when we went though the house to make a list to know what to offer the family. House is full of antiques, collectibles and antique furniture etc.

We have already sold the loose block around the garage that was intended for a garage add on ($$$), a brand new craftsman riding mower, I have a guy who buys all of the appliances and non antique type furniture and he came to get all of that.

We rent a rolling dumpster and dump everything that we do not want that cannot be sold or donated. Usable items that we dont want to sell are donated to goodwill and we get a tax deduction for donating it.

In most house like this there are hidden gems. In this one coffee cans full of old coins, stocks, foreign currency, vintage jewelry, a couple cool pocket watches.

The example below is what puts a pit in my stomach as I have bought over the years a few estates that had some high end items in it. Not 30m worth but when you buy the entire estate and later find 10 things that pays for your entire purchase then the rest is pure profit.

This story is amazing.

Arthur Pinajian Art Worth $30 Million Found In Garage And More Arts News

not sure if it was this one but saw something similar on the news yesterday. have a group of friends who want to start this venture

With boomers retiring at record numbers and parents getting old I am finding more and more of these.

I give my business card out at antique auctions etc just for this reason.

Got anything to sell? Call me.

What I am finding out is the kids want certain things out of the house and dont want to mess with cleaning the items out. They only want the money from the real estate and cannot sell it with items inside and not re painted, cleaned up etc.

Saddens me that parents raise these kids and the kids dont want anything left in the house at all, this last one the kids came in took the pictures and a few other things and said the rest is yours. I found a picture album of the kids when they were babies in a closet, called one of them up and they said "toss it, we dont want them" so I called the second one and she said "I dont want them call one of my brothers". I found a hand made quilt that was in one of those adorable pictures with the daughter in it and she still did not want the quilt or the pictures.

I usually make an offer based on the contents but this last one the kids said give me xxxxx and everything is yours except for the RE. Easy purchase.

Have your friends get an agreement drawn up and take lots of video and pictures as I have had some members come back into the house and take valuable items after I had paid and that wont happen. They could kill your profit easily.

SandY! I heard about that story -ridiculous but yes, if you have the time - get it on it.

I give you credit Sandy, that's hard work. I'm sure it is possible.

I've bought and sold houses so same situation. It's amazing what people leave. You say to yourself, "OMG, why would someone leave something so valuable behind?"

I've contacted the previous owners kids and told them their were personal photos, nick knacks, that I rightfully owned but was willing to let them have for free.

I always got the same response, "toss it." :doh:

When all said and done we will make 25-30k.

We take all the goodies out, we have an appliance guy who pays and comes and gets all the heavy appliances himself out and a furniture guy who does the same with the furniture we dont want.

Once we take out everything of value we have a connection for a lady and daughter who comes in and dumps what is left into the dumpster and cleans the house up, like vacuum, clean the house up so it can be ready for painting etc. We dont leave the house a mess like some do.

Most hard work is done by others. We just take the goodies out and take them to the warehouse.

Re: This is why I buy estates and houses full of items
 

When you act professional, people will want to deal with you and give you those extra jobs. Its always good to be smart and it doesnt hurt to be decent

Agree 100%

We want the house cleaned up for them so they can bring in a realtor and get it ready to sell.

You do not know how many clients we have got from people like these people who were overly happy we cleaned up their house and gave us connections for other estates or items people want to sell.

Even though we hired it done it looked good on us and made them very happy.

I was thinking of hitting some yard sales this spring/summer to look for inventory, but this sounds promising - thanks !

Great idea, I only wish I had the cash flow to seriously consider this. Well done Sandy!

Buying the estate itself is the only way to go. I do a couple every summer. You could buy 10 estates and easily make your money back and a little profit. But you only need that one hidden gem and it makes it all worth it, which is why I continue to do it. Garage sales are ok, storage lockers are a joke, and estate sales is bank.

My grandfather bought many estates and always made a ton of money on them.

He has his pad and pencil and wrote everything he knew he could flip real quick down and made offers based on the very best stuff and did not include all the smalls and other items. He then paid a couple guys to come in and take out everything he did not want to mess with. Ran all that back through auction houses and only touched the better stuff.

I remember he bought an estate and paid 3,000 for everything in the house and when I questioned him he said his return will be not just on the antiques but it will be on the stack of locust post that was sitting behind the shed out back. I remember laughing because I knew he was an antique guy. I did not laugh long when someone showed up and handed him 2500 for all the locust post and he had 500.00 in the entire house full of goodies.

Most wont know this, I know GB does but Lalique glass is high end fantastic stuff, well sought after. This house had 50 or so pieces of that glass alone.

He taught me a lot. Remember being around 8-9 years old and wondered why are we sitting with a bunch of old people in a yard of a house? The auction stated and next thing I know he had a pile of stuff piled all around us.

Estates can be a gold mind if you can get into one. Many people dont want to mess with it and many send their stuff to an auction house who charges 30% plus pickup fees.

I get a pit in my stomach going back into the house and finding hidden little gems inside coffee cans, shoe boxes etc.

The pocket watches I got from the last one so far have turned out to be gems and I have a few more to research.

Cant believe I am actually selling concrete blocks.....

Not me but it paid off and I did not have to move a finger.

Remember, everything has a value to someone.

Dont forget that.

Start off with local flea markets.

With Spring & then Summer coming for the USA/Canada, people are getting over cabin fever. They think of disposing of 'goods'.

In the early 2000s, we lived on the TX/LA border. Was a treasure trove IF you went looking. Later we were based in WA. Still had similar chances.

Go look. Train yourself for 'bargains.

:ranger:

Still visit WA GB?

Re: This is why I buy estates and houses full of items
 

Amen. Everyone that is big started somewhere . Dell used to make computers in his garage. Start small and fight and u have a good chance to make something of it

Thread reminded me of an earlier one

http://www.aspkin.com/forums/subscri...ate-sales.html

:ranger:

If i remember correctly...michael dell made computers at school in his dorm (ut austin)

and steve jobs made apple in his parents garage. most successful people didnt follow the standard "recommended" path most people embark in their life.

Re: This is why I buy estates and houses full of items
 

Started in his parents garage and continued when he moved to the dorm

Networking is important folks.

I pass my card out to everyone I can, at yard sales, garage sales, auctions, estate sales, tag sales, CL customers etc.

I tell people if it is for sale I am interested.

I have another estate lined up to go look at. House has sat for almost a year because of family fighting over estate and wills etc.

This one is one I will have to get an attorney involved with but it sounds like the house is full of great antiques, furniture etc.

People cannot call you if you dont let them know you are a big buyer and dont know your name and number.

I would presume this would only work if you have a team. 1 or two people, can't go to a house, buy it up, clean the items up and list them individually on eBay. It would take decades to do. You'd need a team that would come in, sort out the items, get inventory, take photographs, list them and sell them.

I would presume this would only work if you have a team. 1 or two people, can't go to a house, buy it up, clean the items up and list them individually on eBay. It would take decades to do. You'd need a team that would come in, sort out the items, get inventory, take photographs, list them and sell them.

Not true at all.
Especially with today's technology.
With a smartphone, you can get things appraised, scheduled for cleaning, moved out in your truck and placed on ebay all in the span of a few hours.

Larger items, yes. But if it does not involve things like contracts and background checks then yeah, its very possible to have it gone in a matter of hours.

For me to generally list 5-6 items per day, it takes a full day. I have to research the items sell prices, write up description, include nice pictures. So how can I do 200 items in a few hours.

Nope. I get little to no help.

The only help I do get is for the heavy stuff.

I go and sort the best antiques and have totes and bubble wrap for those items.

Box lot household low ends ups go into other colored totes for feedback builders or run back through auctions.

I source the appliances and furniture out to already known sources. I make a call and they show up and pay me for what I do not want and I dont lift a finger.

If the items are junk or trash I do not deal with them. I try to tell the people selling I do not clean the house, I will remove my items and will not leave any messes but I dont clean the entire house top to bottom. But I dont leave it a mess.

The DH will come by and help me load the trailer or uhaul but other then that I sort, clean, picture, list and pack the items.

Decades? Guess you have not been in the antiques business long or bought an estate.

We cleaned out an entire house full of super antiques and collectibles in one weekend. Of course you have to be willing to work hard, long hours to get it done but we have done it.

Not a team, just me sorting and separating on day one and DH and my 14 year old sometimes who lends a hand sorting but other then that, not a team and only a few days if that on a full house.

I take one color tote with all the better stuff to one storage unit to get ready to picture and list.

I take the other color with less items to another unit to get ready for a few new accounts.

Then items I have not decided on yet get ran back through a local auction to keep the better stuff moving.

I can list 100s of items once I have the pictures and descriptions in no time.

Most are not willing to put in the long hours in one day.

I dont leave any house a mess, we will not touch anything that we dont buy and if we move things around that we did not purchase etc we put it back.

You are assuming I clean the house top to bottom and I dont.


Been buying estates for 20+ years and have system down that I can be in and out depending on how much stuff is in the house in 1-2 days max most times.

LOL

I have bought 600 box lots at one auction house in one day and they were sorted, pictured, on ebay, etsy, amazon etc within 7 days easily depending on what accounts I am running that week.

Being organized, knowing the product, sorting quickly, tossing items that are found to have nicks, chips, issues and sorting the best from the other right away saves a ton of time.

I have cameras and do the descriptions right at the unit. Come home and list them in no time.

Thank you.

It can be done easily with little to no help if you are not lazy and willing to get moving and get it done.

I think this poster believes you buy the house to and I dont buy the house, only the contents of the house.

The house has nothing to do with buying estates and I think he/she has it confused.

Holy moly.

5-6 items a day?

I know my product and dont need to do much research at all.

I believe I have listed close to 500 items in one day easily using auctiva.

I might as well quit if I could only list 5 items a day.

If I dont do 30 or more items in an hour I am slacking or tired.

Sunday nights I list well over 500 items on 15-20 accounts to run for 7 days.

Of course the pictures are done and cropped and all I need it my trusty description.


HINT--- I line up my items in a row I want to list. Take my pictures in that row. I use a voice recorder to describe the item, measurements etc.

When I list it, I listen to my recording, pause and do the write up. Add the picture and bam, its listed. On the the next item.

Not to poke fun at you but your user name is 100hoursaweek.

Listing 5 items a day no way are you working 100 hours a week.

If I worked 100 hours a week on ebay alone I would have 5,000 or more items listed easily.

I put in 70-80 or more every single week and get a lot done. I sleep on averahe 3-4 hours per day most days. It is all I need. I am on here and ebay at the same time many nights until 3 am or so. Then back on here when I take my kids to school by 8 am and back to ebay or making accounts.

Hmmmm.... I use eBay to post my stuff. So I go to completed listings, find one item that I also have for sale. Then use that category, put in the info, my description, and my HTML codes for the item. All of my items are different, so I don't have one thing in two quantities. However what you are doing is pretty impressive. Very good work.

500 Items a day, wow mama mia.

Things like this does not happen in the uk I don't think?

If it did I'd be all over it like a rash.

@Sandy D - your like an eBay machine. Do they make a third party software that can be integrated with eBay of yourself? I would get one in a flash :)

I take about 4 or 5 minutes for each listing. Trick is to know what your selling

I take all my pictures, wipe all EXIF data off them, sort them into different folders depending on what account they do onto and get to work.

Sandy you are a Machine 500 items a day!! God Bless You, Good For You. You should make a video all about selling on Ebay and creating Accounts, I'd definitely buy a copy.

That's awesome, I just started my online business little under a year ago , and love it , I have a part time job bartending so I usually put 3 hours before and 3-4 hours after work . I'm now starting to cut back my days and focusing more now on Ebay. Only 7 months since my first account got canned and now I have almost Triple the selling limits and making double in Sales.

Inspired by you sandy I'm actually trying to expand my business and been venturing out into thrift stores. There is so many items, antiques , everything . When I'm here I always think I wish Id have u around to guide me.

I have one great category of items that is my bread and butter but I actually enjoy going out to thrift , goodwill , etc, just wish I'd had little guidance when looking.

Sandy what steps can I take when venturing out to educate myself on the worth of items you would find in thrift shops, particularly with older items, antiques, etc???

I always reference back to ebay but if you have any input for me I'd appreciate the guidance.

I do the same, sort them in a folder and get to work.

All my accounts already have the write ups done and all I need to do is add the description, sizes, pictures etc and its done.

Estates sales/ auctions is the way to go. If you can attend a huge auction selling everything in the house that is where the money is.

Also, full estates if you can get them. because you get everything in the house and do not have to share with 500 other bidders.

I hit the thrift stores, yard sales etc usually on my way to something. I do not go out of my way to go to lots of them much anymore because my warehouse and storage sheds are full so I more concentrate on esates and antique auctions.

But if I am going by a thrift store I wont miss it either.

Lots of great feedback builders in thrift stores for sure. And I have found some gems in them as well.

Years of experience and of course my Grandparents dragging me to every auction, flea market, yard sale when I would stay with them on the weekends and during the summers. They beat the info into my head. This is who made this, this is the year it was made, look for this name, dont pass on anything like this kinda stuff.

Many learn by attending antique auctions and watching the bidding. Most, not all auctioneers know what an item is and if it sparks your interest make a note of it, name, price etc.

I learn about new items I did not know about at every auction. Always something to learn. I dont know military stuff well but last week I watched a ton of WWI and WWII items being auctioned off and learned a ton just from that.

I also tell people to go with your gut feeling, if an item looks to good to be passed on look it up. Also buy items that you have knowledge of as it helps you get ahead of the game if you do.



I bought a Galaxy Tablet to carry with me now as the phone thing was getting old. It has worked like charm for me looking up items before I buy them!!

Sold and completed listed can help but I also use Terapeak and sometimes look at Worthpoint.

And the newest thing I do since I sell a lot of items on Etsy anymore is look at Etsy sales. You dont get a ton of info but it shows what sold and that helps me know that particular item does have some interest.

Going to be a big market over the next years of families selling off the war memorabilia the GIs took back to the USA. Stuff that has been in trunks in attics is going to be back on open market. Prices will be high. A 1918 Erfurt Luger with 90% blueing is worth roughly US$2700 these days.

Such was the precision and accuracy of the methods used by the Germans at the Erfurt Armoury, it can be possible to trace/track the origin of these fine guns. Big money in this market for the converted.
:typing:

Saw a few estate auctions posted up in ads recently...sadly, the timing was not good for me to attend...kind of "miffed" at that...was in exploration mode and wanted to check them out

Can not have been that keen. You need to make time or miss the chances

That estate will be making money for another person now

Have to take the plunge and make time. That is how I work on sourcing goods

You're GB - could not get time off of my daywork duties...hence the interference...not making an excuse but yes, job got in the way

I have been looking at this for years knowing USA baby boomers will be hitting record numbers to hit retirement age this and next year.
Should be a ton of items up for sale soon.

Hummm I buy from estate auctions a lot without being there.

It is called an absentee bid.

Leave it with your credit card number etc and they will bid items up to your left price.

Do it all of the time. Go to the auction house or home look over items, leave bids and leave. They will call if you win something.