Twelve practical questions to ask any estate sale company in St. Louis before you sign a contract — and what good answers sound like.
1. How many years have you been running sales in this specific area?
Experience outside St. Louis is not the same as experience inside it. Local buyer networks, neighborhood norms and event calendars all matter. Favor companies with at least 5 years of St. Louis-specific history.
2. Are you licensed and insured?
Ask for a certificate of insurance. Liability insurance protects you if a buyer is hurt on your property during the sale. It is inexpensive, professionally standard, and any reputable company should provide it on request.
3. Are you a member of CAGA, ISA, or ASA?
These are the three recognized appraisal guilds. Membership requires testing, continuing education, and adherence to USPAP standards. Not every estate sale company has credentialed appraisers — credentials meaningfully change outcomes on higher-value estates.
4. What is your commission, and what is included?
Pin this down in writing. Is staging included? Tables and display? Insurance? Advertising? Cleanup? A lower commission that excludes services you need is not actually lower.
5. Can you provide three recent references from similar-sized sales?
Yes should be the only acceptable answer. Call the references.
6. Where will the sale be advertised, and at what cost?
EstateSales.net should be a base expectation. Email lists, Facebook, Craigslist and local newspapers add reach. The answer should be specific, not vague.
7. How are prices determined?
The best answer involves recent sold comparables, local market experience, and a clear pricing philosophy across the sale. “We just know” is a red flag.
8. Who will be working my sale?
Meet the lead. The principal who quotes the sale should be the principal who runs it or closely supervises it.
9. How and when do we get paid?
7 to 10 business days after the sale is industry standard. Watch for vague or delayed answers.
10. What happens to unsold items?
Options should include half-price day, donation with tax receipts, consignment of high-value remainders, and optional cleanout. You decide the mix.
11. What is your contract policy on items we want to keep?
There should be a clear written process for excluding items, walking through with you to mark them, and a final check before the sale opens.
12. What if something goes wrong?
Every company has had a sale go sideways — weather, a buyer incident, an underestimate. How a company describes handling past problems tells you a great deal about how they will handle yours.
Our practice: We answer all 12 questions in plain English, on the walkthrough, in writing on the proposal, and in front of our references. It is how we earn the sale.