Most of you know me as a REALTOR. But my other life is as a personal property appraiser (for the things inside the home, not the home itself) and as an estate sale manager. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, in-person estate sales became unsafe, not just to the customers, but to my staff and to me.
For a while, we sat it out. The last "real" estate sale we did was in February. Over the summer, though, a neighbor was downsizing and leaving behind many items. Out of necessity, we turned to online estate sales. The only face-to-face interaction we had with customers was when they came to pick up the items they purchased, and many opted for porch pickup. It was a lot of work - taking many, many photographs of each item, collecting measurements, making condition notes, writing descriptions; then uploading to multiple places on the Internet. There were several items that didn't sell, and a charity came and carted those items off.
Fast forward to this month. Instead of holding an on-line estate sale where we set the prices and then reduce them or negotiate until they're sold, we're trying a different approach. Our first online auction is going on NOW! You, the customer, set the prices. Everything starts at $1 and you decide how much you want to spend. Hopefully with this low starting amount, all items will get bids and will find new homes.
Check out the online estate auction here, and if you're in the Dallas (Texas) area or can arrange for local pickup, consider bidding!
