How to choose an estate sale company

You are about to give a stranger the keys to a house full of someone's belongings and trust them to account for every dollar. In most states the business needs no special license. So the checking is up to you. It takes an afternoon and it is worth it.

Talk to more than one

Call two or three companies and have each walk through the home. You will learn as much from how they behave as from what they quote. Notice who looks carefully, who asks about the family's wishes, and who is in a hurry.

Look at their past sales

Ask for links to recent sale listings. You are looking for clear photos, sensible descriptions and a home that looks organized. A listing with forty dark, blurry pictures tells you how yours will look.

If you can, go to one of their sales as a buyer. See whether items are priced, whether staff are present in the rooms, and whether checkout is orderly.

Ask for references and proof of insurance

Ask for two or three recent clients you can call. Then ask those clients one question: were you paid what you expected, when you expected it?

Ask whether the company carries liability insurance and whether its workers are covered if they are hurt in the home. Ask to see the certificate. Check with your own homeowner's insurer too, since a vacant house can change your coverage.

Questions worth asking

• How do you decide prices, and how do you research the better pieces?
• Where will the sale be advertised?
• How many people work the sale, and how do you prevent theft?
• Do you or your staff buy from the sales you run? If so, how and at what price?
• What forms of payment do you take from buyers?
• What happens to unsold items?
• When will I be paid, and will I get an itemized statement?

The question about staff buying matters. Some companies forbid it. Some allow it at the marked price once the sale is open. What you want is a clear rule, stated without hesitation.

Read the contract for these things

A sound contract names the commission and every fee, the sale dates, the payout date, the handling of unsold items, and what happens if either side cancels. Watch for:

• Fees described loosely, such as "expenses as needed"
• A clause giving the company ownership of everything unsold, with no credit to you
• No payout date
• A penalty if you remove an item, with no chance to list exclusions first
• Pressure to sign on the first visit

Before you sign, walk the house once more and take out anything the family wants to keep, along with personal papers, photographs, medications and firearms. Deal with those separately.

Trust how the conversation felt

Good estate sale professionals do this work because they are good with objects and gentle with people. If someone was dismissive of the home, vague about money or impatient with your questions during the visit, that will not improve once the contract is signed.

When no company will take the job

Sometimes there is not enough in the home for a full sale. That is a normal answer, not a judgment. Ask the company what they would suggest instead. Many will point you to a buyout, a consignment shop, an online auction or a cleanout service.