Aug 30, 2021

10 Important Questions to Ask Before an Estate Sale

appraiser appraising a vase at an estate sale

Selling a home can be quite a challenging process, especially when you’re out of state and needing to sell the home after the death of a loved one. Add onto that the fact that you need to hold an estate sale to sell all of your loved one’s belongings, and soon, you’re in over your head. Unfortunately, many people find themselves in this position at some point in their lives and have little idea of how to proceed. 
At Jennifer Young Homes, we have experience dealing with such matters, so we know how difficult this time may be. As such, we’ve put together a list of 10 important questions to ask when interviewing a potential realtor. We regret that you’re in a position to need them, but we hope you find them useful nonetheless. 

The Importance of Finding the Right Agent

Since there’s no real way to prepare for something like this, it’s important to try and identify a realtor early on who is experienced in estate sales (both as it relates to the home sale and live estate sale event) and can help guide you through this confusing and unfamiliar process. 
The right realtor will be able to help you with everything from appraisal and pricing to facilitating the estate sale and junk removal, so in addition to asking the right questions, it’s important to interview a number of agents to ensure you find the right fit. Doing so will not only alleviate a lot of pressure and ensure things go smoothly for everyone involved, but also help you to maximize your profit. 

Getting Started – Questions to First Ask Yourself

Before heading directly to agent interviews, you may first want to familiarize yourself with estates and estate sales. In general, estate sales are much more involved than your average garage sale, so you’ll definitely want to bring yourself up to speed before diving right in. 

10 Important Questions to Ask a Potential Agent 

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with estate sales and their process, it’s time to begin interviewing potential agents. 
Below, you’ll find a list of 10 important questions you’ll want to ask when carrying out said interviews. After conducting some initial research, you may even have a few questions to add of your own. If not, no worries! Here’s a little something to get you started: 

  1. Have you sold homes for sellers in an estate before?
  2. Have you sold homes for people out of state before? 
  3. Do you have a plan to secure the property & check on it often to make sure it’s preserved?
  4. Will you help have the house cleaned, staged, and prepped for professional photos?
  5. What is your method to price the property appropriately given current market conditions?
  6. In what capacity will you assist in the live estate sale event?
  7. Are you able to assist in securing contractors, arranging bids, and managing any work in progress?
  8. What can I expect as far as a timeline?
  9. How can you otherwise help me maximize the value of the property or my timeline?
  10. How will we communicate?

We’ve elaborated on the above questions for clarity below.

1. Have you sold homes for sellers in an estate before?

As you’ve likely gathered by this point, estates are pretty involved, so it’s important you find a realtor who has experience selling homes that are part of an estate. As a seller, have paperwork like loan payoff info (if any), deed, and any house info handy. This isn’t necessary to move forward, but it’s definitely helpful.

2. Have you sold homes for sellers out of state?

Not only is it important to find a realtor experienced in estate sales, it’s also equally as important to find a realtor that is experienced in selling homes and holding estate sales for out of state clients, as many estate-sale-sellers are.

3. Do you have a plan to secure the property & check on it often to make sure it’s preserved?

A seasoned realtor who has experience dealing with clients out of state will be anticipating this question. Documenting the property’s condition (at first entry and each subsequent visit) and sending a copy of the report and/or photos to the estate/family is a common practice and should be expected.
For example, on our team, we employ a full-time field runner to check on properties, making sure nothing is amiss, like an unexpected burst pipe or an entry point left unsecured. 

4. Will you help have the house cleaned, staged, and prepped for professional photos?

As with any home sale, professional listing photos need to be taken for online advertisement. You’ll want to make sure the agent you choose has a plan to have the home cleaned, staged, and otherwise prepped for sale.

5. What is your method to price the property appropriately given current market conditions?

Determining the right selling price can be a tricky task that requires experience. If you want to get the most out of your sale, you’ll need to make sure the agent you choose has the know-how, especially in this area.

6. In what capacity will you assist in the live estate sale event?

Follow-up questions:

  • Will you assist in interviewing estate sale companies to conduct the live estate sale event?
  • Will you coordinate with said estate sale company to ensure a smooth process/efficient timeline?
  • Will you arrange the appraisal of items for sale (as seen in the header photo)? 
  • Will you be advertising the estate sale online to ensure maximum buzz & bids?
  • If yes to the above question, will you arrange for professional photos to be taken?
  • Will you ensure junk removal of unwanted items after the sale? 

All of this will be provided by the right agent. On our team, we have experience working with many highly-rated estate sale companies, junk removal service providers, movers, and more. Additionally, we can arrange free estimates and facilitate the entire process, ensuring efficiency and proper care along the way.

7. Are you able to assist in securing contractors, arranging bids, and managing any work in progress?

Being out of state, this point is crucial as you likely will not be in town to manage such affairs. You’ll want to make sure the agent you choose is planning on taking care of these matters themselves.

8. What can I expect as far as a timeline?

You’re likely aware that expenses on the property (taxes, insurance, utilities, and maintenance) still accumulate, even after the owner’s death, so the beneficiaries of the estate have a strong incentive to liquidate the entirety of the estate as quickly as possible. Timelines for complete estate liquidation can vary depending on many factors, so you’ll want to consult with potential agents to get a better idea of what you can expect.

9. How can you otherwise help maximize the value of the property or my timeline?

Given the circumstances, it may seem wrong to think about maximizing property values and streamlining timelines, but you still want to make sure you push to get the most you can out of this unfortunate experience.

10. How will we communicate?

It may seem simple, but proper communication is critical to a smooth process. With multiple parties involved, many of which may be scattered across the country, it’s extremely important you have a clear idea of how information will be shared amongst all parties to ensure nothing gets lost along the way. 
Additionally, many agents prefer to do work over the phone. If you are someone who would rather sensitive information be shared (and thus documented) via text or email, you’ll definitely want to check and make sure the agent is prepared to do so.

Final Thoughts

By this point, we hope you feel a bit more prepared for the sale of your estate and have a clear idea of next steps to take going forward. 
If you just so happen to be selling a home as part of an estate in the Northern Virginia/Metro DC area, we at Jennifer Young Homes would love to help! We have a team of dedicated, experienced agents that can help guide you through this difficult time. 
Please contact us online via our website or by phone at 703-651-5655.

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