Why two or three quotes, not one and not six
One quote tells you nothing, because you have nothing to hold it against. A single company's rate could be high or low for your area and you would not know. Six quotes cost you six walk-throughs, six sets of follow-up calls and a week of your life you do not have, and the extra three rarely change the decision. Two is the minimum that makes a comparison possible; three is comfortable, because when two agree and one is far off, you know which one is the outlier.
There is also a courtesy in keeping it small. A walk-through is an hour or two of an experienced person's unpaid time, and a company that is one of six knows it is unlikely to win and may not put its best effort into the visit. Tell each company how many others you are talking to. Most would rather hear "you are one of three" than guess.
Before you call anyone
A quote is only as good as the question it answers, so settle a few things first. Decide what the family is keeping and, as far as you can, take it out or tag it before the walk-throughs, because every company's estimate depends on what is in the house on the day it looks. Decide what you need done afterwards: a house left as it stands, unsold items donated, or a full clean-out ready for a realtor. Decide on your timing, whether that is a firm closing date or "the sooner the better." And confirm that you have the authority to sell the contents; if the estate is in probate, the executor is the person who signs, and rules vary by state, so ask the attorney handling the estate. This is not legal advice.
Then write these down on one page, with a rough description of the house: rooms, whether it is full or sparse, anything notable, anything difficult such as stairs, a hoarded room, or a property that cannot have signs. Every company gets the same page. That is what makes the quotes comparable, and it is the single step families most often skip.
One description, sent to everyone
If each company hears a different version of the job, you will get three quotes for three different sales and no way to compare them. The family form on this site works the same way: you describe the estate once, the site emails the five nearest companies directly, other local companies can see the request too, and every company that reaches out has read the same description.
Finding the companies to ask
Look for companies that actually work in your area, that run sales regularly, and that have run one in a house something like yours. The company directory lists companies by distance from a ZIP, and each profile shows the company's own description, its claims about insurance and years in business, attributed to the company and not checked by the site, and its recent sales. The browse page is another route in: look at who is running the sales near you this month, open their listings, and judge the photographs and the staging. A company whose listings look good and whose sales are busy is a company to call.
Ask people too. A realtor who works the neighborhood, the attorney handling the estate, a neighbor who cleared a parent's house last year, will each name one or two. Treat a referral from a realtor as a lead and not a recommendation, since some companies pay for those, and check it the same way as the others. Our guide to choosing an estate sale company covers what to look at before you pick up the phone.
The walk-throughs
Book the walk-throughs within a few days of each other, ideally the same week, so that every company sees the house in the same state and you remember each visit clearly. Give each company the one-page description in advance and have the house as it will be on the day of the sale: what the family is keeping gone or tagged, everything else where it is. Do not clean out. Companies want to see the garage and the junk drawer, and what a family throws away as rubbish is often the first thing to sell.
During the visit, let the company look, then ask. Our 25 questions to ask an estate sale company is the full list; the ones that matter most for the quote are the rate and minimum, what is charged separately, what happens to unsold items, the dates on offer, and when and how you are paid. Ask each company what it thinks the sale might bring in, and expect a range with a caveat rather than a figure. Write the answers down before the next company arrives. Our guide to what to expect at the walk-through covers what the company is looking at and how to read its reaction.
A company may decline at the walk-through. That is useful information, not an insult: it usually means the estate is smaller than a commission model can support, and our guide to why companies turn down sales explains what to do next.
What a real quote contains
A quote is a written proposal you could sign. A rate spoken at the door is not a quote, and neither is an email that says "35% plus expenses." Before you compare anything, each company's proposal needs to state all of the following, and if one is missing, ask for it. A company that will not put a number on paper before you sign has told you how it will behave after.
What every quote must state before you can compare it
- The commission rate, and whether it is a single rate or a sliding scale with the steps shown
- Any minimum, in dollars, and whether it is a minimum commission or a minimum sale size
- Whether commission is calculated before or after card processing fees and sales tax
- Every cost charged separately, each with a fixed figure or the basis for calculating it
- What is included: sorting, staging, pricing, advertising, staffing, checkout, accounting
- What happens to unsold items, who decides, and what a clean-out costs if it is offered
- The proposed dates, and how many days of set-up the company needs before them
- When payment is made after the sale, and what the settlement statement will show
- What you owe if you cancel before the sale
- A statement that the company carries liability insurance, with a certificate available on request
Comparing the quotes on one page
The headline rate is the number everyone leads with and it is rarely the number that decides what you take home. A company at a higher rate that includes a clean-out, advertises widely and pays out in a week can leave you with more than a cheaper company that charges by the hour to empty the house. So compare what each quote would leave you with, under the same assumptions, and it takes ten minutes.
Pick one gross figure to test with, the lowest of the companies' estimates, since that is the outcome you are protecting yourself against. For each quote, apply the rate, the minimum and any scale to get the commission, add every separately charged cost, and subtract from the gross. Then do it again at half that figure, which is where minimums bite. Our guide to estimating what you will actually receive walks through the arithmetic with a worked example. Put the results in a table like this one; the figures are illustrative and yours will differ.
| Company A | Company B | Company C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | 35% | 40% | 30% |
| Minimum | None | $1,500 | $2,500 |
| Clean-out | Not offered | Included | By the hour |
| Other charges | Card fees passed on | None stated | Advertising extra |
| Net at $12,000 gross | Work it out | Work it out | Work it out |
| Net at $6,000 gross | Work it out | Work it out | Work it out |
| Dates offered | 3 weeks | 5 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Paid within | 14 days | 7 days | 30 days |
| Unsold items | Left for family | Donated, receipt | Company keeps |
Two rows that are not numbers belong on the same page. Where will the buyers come from, and did the company show you evidence of a real list and real photographs? And what did the references say about the settlement and the payment? A quote that wins on the arithmetic and loses on both of those is not the best quote.
Negotiating, and deciding
It is fair to go back to a company and say that another quote includes something theirs does not, and to ask whether they will match it. It is not fair to invent a rival quote, and companies in the same town often know each other well enough to find out. Most companies have some room on the extras, particularly clean-out and advertising, and less on the rate. A company that drops its rate sharply the moment you push had a rate it did not believe in; a company that explains why it will not is often the one to hire.
Then decide, and do not take too long about it. Companies book sales weeks ahead, and the dates a company offered on Monday may be gone by Friday. If the arithmetic is close, choose on the things that are not arithmetic: the company that answered every question without being asked, showed you its last sale on its phone, and produced a certificate of insurance without a fuss. Read the contract against our contract checklist before you sign, because the contract, not the quote, is what you will be holding at settlement.
Do not let the quotes run past two weeks
A house that sits while the family collects opinions costs money every month in utilities, insurance and taxes, and the good companies' calendars fill. Set yourself a date, get the walk-throughs done in one week, and decide in the next. A slower process rarely produces a better company, only a later sale.
Telling the companies you did not choose
Tell them. A short message saying you have gone with another company, and thanking them for the visit, is all it takes, and it costs you nothing. Companies plan their weeks around walk-throughs they think may turn into sales, and silence leaves them holding a date open for a job that is not coming. If you are willing, say why: the other company's dates, or the clean-out, or the rate. Companies learn from that, and the one you did not pick this time may be the right one for a relative next year. If you used the family form on this site, close the request when you have hired, so that other local companies stop seeing it.
What to do next
Write the one-page description, then describe the estate once and local companies will reach out to you, free, or start from the company directory. Take the 25 questions to each walk-through, use what companies charge to read the numbers, and check the contract against the contract checklist before you sign.
Frequently asked questions
How many estate sale companies should I get quotes from?
Two or three. One quote cannot be compared with anything, and more than three costs you walk-throughs and time without changing the decision much. Tell each company how many others you are speaking to; most prefer to know.
Do estate sale companies charge for a walk-through or a quote?
Usually not. The walk-through and the proposal are how a company wins the job, and most treat them as the cost of doing business. A company that charges for an initial visit should say so up front; it is not improper, but it is unusual, and you should ask what the fee buys if you do not hire them.
Can I negotiate an estate sale company's commission?
You can ask, and on a large or unusually good estate a company may move. More often the room is in the extras: clean-out, advertising charges, card fees. Compare what each quote leaves you with rather than the rate alone, because a lower percentage with more separate charges can cost you more.
What should an estate sale quote include?
The rate and any sliding scale, the minimum, every separately charged cost with a figure, what is included, what happens to unsold items, the proposed dates, when you are paid and what the settlement shows, and the cancellation terms. A quote missing any of those is not yet a quote; ask for the rest before you compare it.
How long does it take to get estate sale quotes?
About a week to book and hold the walk-throughs, and a few days more for the written proposals to come in. Companies are often booked several weeks ahead, so the earlier you start, the more choice you have of dates. Aim to decide within two weeks of the first visit.