You have decided an estate sale is the right path — now what? Here is the short, honest guide to preparing your home and yourself for a successful sale in the St. Louis market.
Step 1: Do not throw anything away
This is the single most common mistake we see. Families, meaning well, start by filling trash bags with “old junk” before the appraiser arrives. We have rescued rare ephemera, silver-lined hollowware and vintage toys from the curb more times than we can count. Let a professional see the contents first. If something truly belongs in the dumpster, we will be the first to say so.
Step 2: Gather what is staying
Before we arrive, make a physical list — or better yet, a single room — of the items you are keeping. Wedding photos, the grandfather clock, your mother’s hope chest. Anything not destined for the sale should be removed or clearly set apart. We will double-check everything with you during setup.
Step 3: Locate important documents
Birth certificates, deeds, wills, passports, Social Security cards, tax records and any sentimental letters — pull these out of file cabinets and hiding places in advance. Estate homes often have papers tucked into books, drawer bottoms, and behind picture frames. We are very careful, but you know your family’s layout better than we do.
Step 4: Leave the furniture in place
We need furniture for staging. Every surface in the house becomes display space during setup. If a piece is not selling, we work around it. Please do not move dressers, bookcases, or dining tables into the basement before we arrive — it doubles our setup time without adding value.
Step 5: Utilities stay on
We need electricity for lighting, heat or AC for a comfortable sale, and running water for staff and restrooms. If the property is vacant, please do not cancel utilities before the sale ends.
Tip: The two most valuable hours of your preparation are spent with your appraiser, not in the dumpster. Call us first, declutter later.
Step 6: Tell us about the family history
Provenance sells. If grandpa served in the Pacific theater, if grandma was an award-winning quilter, if the cabinet was built by a family friend — tell us. Stories add value, and we write tags that carry the story forward to the buyer.
Step 7: Communicate your timeline clearly
Real estate closing dates, out-of-town family help dates, contractor schedules — share them all. A good estate sale works backward from your constraints, not the other way around.
Step 8: Breathe
We mean this literally. For many families this is one of the hardest seasons of their lives. You have already done the hardest work — making the decision. From here, we carry it.