Category Archives: Estate Sales News
We Give Thanks To Those Serving On This Thanksgiving
EstateSalesNews.com would like to thank our men and women in our military, fire, police, and emergency responders for your service and sacrifice this Thanksgiving being away or on duty unable to be with family and friends, so that the rest of America can enjoy this special holiday. It’s our opportunity to be thankful for our family, friends, and freedom.
Thanksgiving Week – Estate Sales – Thank You
Estate Sales News is going to take time off this week to enjoy this favorite family holiday. Time to enjoy the smell of roasting turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, I can’t go on, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. A word of advice, however. Don’t stress yourself out. So many Americans do and this holiday is about family and friends. Enjoy the moments and the ones you share them with.
If you have questions about estate sales this week check out these links.
Estate Sales News Celebrates Veterans Day – Thank You
Americans today take time to appreciate and give thanks to all those who have served our country.
We thank those who have served and protected us and our freedom.
If you pass a man or woman today in a military uniform please take a moment to say thank you. Our freedom is priceless and so are those that have served, are serving, and those that will someday wear the uniform.
Branding And Marketing And Its’ Effects On Estate Sales Companies
Every estate sale company should have a marketing strategy and a logo that differeniates them from their competitors.
Estate sale listing websites use marketing strategies to attract estate sale companies and the buyers that estate liquidators need to attend their sales.
Estate sale companies also need to brand and market their businesses.
It is important to be visible on an estate sale advertising website (EstateSale.com, EstateSales.org, EstateSales.Net are all in the business of advertising estate sales and companies).
Owners of estate liquidation businesses also need to have a strategy to attract buyers and sellers and a logo that is unique. Having a tag line makes a lasting and significant statement that defines you and your business.
For instance EstateSalesNews.com is branded, has a marketing strategy, and has a tag line.
Our logo was created specifically for us along with the sale tag (reminding people of the news and sales) and the important tag line – Your estate sales resource, (referencing the information and answers to your estate sales questions whether you are a seller, buyer, or estate sale company).
We market in several areas including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+. We use other marketing as well to boost our visibility.
So put together your marketing strategy, (take a look at what your competitors are doing) and brand your business.
C’ 1940’s Soda Fountain And Lunch Counter – Throwback Thursday
When your editor returned to eastern Long Island I had the opportunity to have breakfast in Riverhead, New York at the old Soda Fountain and Lunch Counter. I use to stop their as a youngster for a “homemade” cherry coke. Here are photos for today’s Throwback Thursday at Estate Sales News. Did you have one of these where you grew up?
Standout From The Crowd Advertise On EstateSalesNews.com
Today with so many estate sale listing websites and 14,000 plus estate sale companies it helps to stand out from your competition. The advertising sites are excellent place for advertising your estate sales.
It makes good sense to get your company name and information out where there aren’t hundreds of your competitors all trying to grab the attention of the perspective selling public.
With EstateSalesNews.com national audience and social media, we can help you accomplish this. Marketing is key to the success of estate sales and reaching future sellers.
Our ads are custom made for you, offer affordable rates, no contract, click through directly to your website without charging per click as well as your telephone number.
If you are an estate sale company we limit one advertiser per area so you won’t have your competitors next to you.
Autumn is in full swing and competition is high to grab the attention of sellers and buyers.
We welcome advertisers with a variety of businesses.
To learn more contact EstateSalesNews.com at 407-488-6473 or carol@estatesalesnews.com.
Columbus Day And Estate Sales Share New Worlds Of Discovery
Today we celebrate Columbus discovering the new world and EstateSalesNews.com helps consumers discover the every changing new world of estate sales.
The way we use to conduct estate sales has changed dramatically from a hand shake and the wives of estate attorneys and CPA’s that used the local newspaper to advertise their estate sales (and these were the estates of the deceased) to young women and men entrepreneurs that use the internet and social media (some still also use newspapers) to conduct estate sales and estate liquidation businesses.
Instead of hundreds of estate sale companies we now have over 15,000 companies nation wide. EstateSalesNews.com helps estate liquidators navigate the changes such growth has brought.
We feature articles and information about state and federal laws pertaining to the sale of ivory, liability insurance, websites where they can advertise their companies and sales with little or no cost (besides using the bigger advertising listing websites that charge), keeping high ethics and standards, and even about the benefits of blogging and tweeting about their sales and companies. Getting your message out to as many consumers as possible today is paramount for success for estate sale companies and their clients. The bottom line – financial results for both parties.
Estate Sales And Auctions – Editorial By EstateSalesNews.com
Today with the internet connecting the world there are several ways to liquidate personal contents. There are of course estate sales, online auctions, and onsite auctions to name a few.
Here at EstateSalesNews.com we discuss the liquidation process by estate sales, but recognizing that in many instances an auction (either online or onsite) may be a better choice for some estates or some particular items. Whether it is an estate sale or auction each provides a needed service for a family, person, attorney, etc.
What we do not support is the inappropriate discussion by either auctioneers or estate sale companies that argue that only their way is correct in a public forum such as this on WorthPoint. A private opinion should be kept that way.
For an article on WorthPoint, written by a licensed Virginia Auctioneer, Wayne Jordan, called a Worthologist and writer for WorthPoint and blogger for Antique Trader Magazine, he wrote an article about the need for regulations for estate sales as the industry grows and he included information from EstateSalesNews.com along with link to our website. Estate Sales News has not written anything about the need for regulations and he took copyrighted material without permission and used it out of context.
This is unacceptable and we have contacted WorthPoint and await an answer and apology in writing from them and Mr. Jordan for copyright infringement. All the information we have presented here in this article is available to the public without requiring permission.
Virginia is one of the states that does regulate auctioneers by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR).
However, there are many states that have no regulation in place for auctioneers or auctions. Click here to see a list of states and whether they do or do not regulate auctioneers.
We suggest he writes about the continuing need for auction regulations in states that don’t have any if he feels so strongly. An area he is very familiar with, instead of an area that he is unfamiliar with since we cannot find where he has ever conducted an estate sale, although Mr. Jordan’s bio on WorthPoint includes him being a Certified Personal Property Appraiser and Accredited Business Broker along with Accredited Auctioneer of Real Estate, Certified Estate Specialist, Certified Auction Specialist, Residential Real Estate and Accredited Business Broker. He obtained his auction credentials from the Mendenhall School of Auctioneering. According to his LinkedIn bio prior to receiving his auction license in 2006 he was involved in a music company, a claims service, and antiques. He has also authored several books ranging in topics from antique malls to real estate.
Mr. Jordan currently serves on the Virginia Auctioneer Board and the Cemetery Board. His auction license has reciprocity in several states including Florida, where your editor had her auctioneers license. I do not have it now.
Mr. Jordans’ article was derogatory about the estate sale industry. It was also disparaging about companies that provide education to estate liquidators because they are not accredited. Not an question for you Mr. Jordan to consider when so many auctions go unregulated without auction education in so many states.
To write a shock and awe piece about another industry is not in the best interest of any liquidation service or professional.
There are many estate sale companies that use online auctions in addition to estate sales to accomplish their goals and in September of 2014 we covered an estate sale company and an auction company working side by side to sell off the contents of an estate in Michigan.
Mr. Jordan you are not serving the auction industry well by your rhetoric about another industry. We are professionals and as such we need to respect one another and our chosen professions. We can agree to disagree, but not in the manner you chose. We also remind you about copyright laws. You may not use any part of EstateSalesNews.com in any future article.
Carol Madden, Editor, EstateSalesNews.com
Where To Find Estate Sale Companies & What They Require – Estate Fusion
Today we present the response from EstateFusion.com owned by Lisa Kroese who offers, coaching, education, and membership.
What do you require for a company to do to become a liquidator?
Estate Fusion is a private membership website for estate sale companies. We offer contract and branding materials, worksheets, and webinars for all of our members. Some packages include private one on one coaching. We work with companies just starting out and with those who are established but seeking better results or more competitive and solid contracts, business plans and lead generation. Since we work with start ups as well as established companies, we have no requirements for membership. Anyone seeking improvement can become a member and secure consulting and coaching on best practices and profitability.
Do you allow a company to join your association or society without taking courses?
We don’t have an association or society, yes, anyone can join EstateFusion.com. Estate Fusion’s owner, Lisa Kroese, also has a LinkedIn group for estate sellers: Estate Sale Professionals. Anyone with an estate sale business may ask to join that group as well.
What type of background checks do you perform on a current estate sale company that joins your group? Do you or a staff member personally speak to past sellers?
We do not preform background checks. Estate Fusion members are not listed on a public website, it is a private group with several different levels of membership available to members. Estate Fusion focuses on providing professional materials and articles at the basic level. At the upper levels it is focused on meeting each company’s individual growth, lead development and targeted business goals through coaching packages.
Estate Sale Professionals is a news and discussion group, it does not aim to offer credentials or society status to its members. Its members may opt to use the Estate Sale Professionals logo on their LinkedIn profile or website. The public should know that the Estate Sale Professionals logo is just a designation indicating that members are part of a LinkedIn professional group, not that the members are screened privately or have taken coursework to earn use of the logo.
If a seller contacts you about an estate sale company that is associated with you what steps do you take?
No seller has ever been in communication with us regarding any company on Estate Sale Professionals or Estate Fusion. In the event that one did, we would review their concerns with the company and seek legal review for steps that we might follow to address the concerns through mediation between the parties.
What are you able to do with a company that is found unethical or allegedly committing illegally acts at an estate salle i.e. failure to pay or account etc. ?
We would do anything possible to help get a response and attempt to facilitate resolution. On Estate Sale Professionals, members would be removed instantly if it were deemed appropriate. We have no legal authority to take any other action besides alter the member’s status and communicate with them about the seller’s complaint. We could help direct anyone that contacted us to the appropriate agencies, such as their state’s attorney general and consumer protection bureau. We would not be able to provide legal advice to the complainant but would recommend that they seek legal assistance.
Do you charge for membership? We do “not” want to know the amount.
Estate Sale Professionals is a free LinkedIn group that anyone owning a professional liquidation business can request to join. Estate Fusion requires payment to join. Some content is free on the Estate Fusion blog and to email subscribers at EstateFusion.com
