Moving into an assisted living facility is a significant life change, and your elderly family cannot bring all of their personal belongings with them. In all but the rarest of circumstances, downsizing is mandatory. Furniture, home appliances, and clutter collected over the decades have to go somewhere, and many people opt for estate sales to help clear them of unneeded possessions and get some extra cash. Selling off all your possessions isn’t easy, and their emotions might run high when items with significant sentimental value are sold off. Today, we will discuss how to effectively run an estate sale on behalf of your family member before they transition to a new life in an assisted living facility.
Benefits of Estate Sales
Estate sales are common following major life events like divorces, deaths, moves, and bankruptcies. When life events necessitate someone to quickly get rid of most of their possessions to cover bills or get rid of unneeded items, estate sales provide an opportunity to earn some extra money relatively quickly. As opposed to finding an individual buyer for each item, people can come to the home, pick and choose what they like, and make bulk offers to purchase and remove the items from the premises. If the time has come for your parent to live in an assisted living facility, the last thing you want to worry about is how to dispose of six dressers or find buyers for every TV stand in the house.
Tips For Estate Sales
Even though estate sales might be more convenient, you can’t assume that everything you put up for sale will be bought for a fair price on the first day. You can do many things before and during an estate sale to maximize the chance that the bulk of your items are sold, allowing you to put this money towards the new living arrangement of your elderly loved one.
Tip #1 – Organize Items Beforehand
Estate sales are helpful for downsizing when a senior citizen moves into an assisted living facility, but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything. Family members can gather as a group to take on the task of organizing and identifying all of the items inside the house. This allows them to find heirlooms, furniture and items that the older family member wants to bring with them, items with sentimental value, and other objects that family members may want for themselves. Once these items are accounted for, you can begin thinking about how to sell the rest.
Tip #2 – Entice Buyers
If you want to raise money relatively quickly, you need two things – reasonable prices and attractive items. Few people will waltz into an estate sale and buy an old, dusty table for top dollar. Do your best to prominently display newer items after they have been cleaned and decluttered, and don’t assume that people won’t haggle. The point of an estate sale is not to get 100 percent of the item’s market value. Instead, the aim is to receive some compensation while still getting rid of it in a short turnaround that lets you navigate a significant life change.
Tip #3 – Advertise
Estate sales can be a great place to find deals on items, and getting the word out to the local community, friends, and family can be a win-win for all involved. You can get money that helps your elderly loved one, move bulky objects off the property, and keep the items that don’t fit into the downsizing plans out of a landfill. Advertise online, reach out to local groups, and tell others to post on their social media about the event. If all goes well, you could potentially get rid of all the unwanted items in one day, much faster than you could move them yourself.
Ultimately, estate sales are helpful for people who need to downsize their elderly parent’s belongings with a quick turnaround. It can hasten a long process and let you focus on your parent during this significant life change.
If you are looking for an assisted living or memory care center in the Venice area for your elderly parent, contact A Banyan Residence today.
