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What to do with antiques when selling a home?

By
Real Estate Agent with Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 PA License - AB067198

Antique eagle Photo courtesy of Earle D. Vandekar Antiques

When you have antiques in your home and want to sell your home what do you do with your antiques? Well it depends on the situation. Are you going to keep your antiques and move them? If so do they stay in the house or do you pack them up? Is this an estate, how many antiques are there, do you want to keep the antiques?

If you are keeping your antiques and this is simply a move to another house your next steps depend on the fragility of the pieces. If you have porcelains and other ceramics that are not in cabinets you may want to remove them from the home before allowing showings. Furniture and paintings are different as they are not so fragile. Other items that are small and portable you may decide to remove. In cases where collections are worth significantly more than the home, you may request the listing agent to be present at all showings as a precaution.

 If it is an estate there are several steps. Firstly you need an appraisal for estate taxes etc. Secondly you need to decide what you will do with the antiques at this stage. Are you able to donate them to a museum? If the collection is important enough a museum may be willing to accept them with certain conditions. Preferably if this was the case in an estate this should be worked out ahead of time as donations to museums can take a long time to arrange and agree upon terms.

If you decide to sell the antiques the decision of what to do with the antiques and the house may be decided on location. If the home lends itself to an on-site auction and the number of antiques is sufficient it may be suitable to auction not just the antiques but the home as well. Even if the home is not auctioned, the antique auction can bring a lot of good publicity to the house enabling it to sell more quickly.

If the home does not lend it self to an on-site auction you need advice on where and how to sell the antiques you wish to dispose of. Not all items should go to New York for sale, but also not all items need be sold locally either. There are also alternatives to selling at auction, private sales can be arranged with other collectors, dealers or even museums for single or multiple important pieces.

I have advised several clients on the way forward, soome pieces being sold at local auctions, some pieces being sent to one of the major auction rooms in New York and even connecting clients with dealers who are willing to help the collector sell their collection over time through exhibitions. There are many options and each client has different needs depending on their situation.

For more advice or if you have a question feel free to contact me direct at Nick@VandekarTeam.com

Posted by

 

Nick Vandekar
Nick is a Tredyffrin Easttown Residential and Commercial REALTOR selling The Main Line, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

Giving you the confidence to make
the right decisions.

225 W Uwchlan Ave
Downingtown , PA 19335
Office 484-237-2055
SellingTheMainLine.com
Mobile: (610) 203-4543 [call or text me]
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If you are buying or selling on or around
Tredyffrin Easttown or along the Main Line, 
I can help you, contact me.

Comments (1)

Linda Sticklin
Home Staging & Organizing - Berwyn, PA

When preparing a house to sell, it is critical to remove items that could distract potential buyers. You want a buyer to see the great features of the house and not be distracted by the seller's unique antiques or personal decorating style. As you point out, concern about items being damaged is another concern and generally warrants packing them up while the house is on the market.

Oct 06, 2008 04:14 AM