A friend of mine always says that Estate Sales are just fancy garage sales and he could not be farther from the truth. Good estate sale companies have many contacts and experience in selling the many possessions that seniors collect throughout the years. When I interview estate sale contacts I am always amazed on the items they see as "valuable" and some items I would see as "high worth" have little if any value.
"We can't believe how much we received from the estate sale profits. We paid for Mom & Dad's move to the senior living facility and added some $ to their savings which is great and the estate sale comapany did the work"
There are many aspects that come into play when seniors sell their longtime residences. So many decisions will have to be made and a good SRES can assist with this transition or will know the professionals that can help. I have talked with a couple of SRES agents and “customization” of the senior transition is important because each situation is unique.
Specialty Areas of Expertise of a SRES
What Makes a Senior Move Different?
Action Step: Before selling any real estate you will need to check into a myriad of tax laws that could possibly come into play. There is no national organization of “senior accountants” but there are local elder lawyers or SRES accredited real estate agents.
Golden Nugget: While researching this book, I ran into some articles dealing with “senior cooperatives” that started in New York City in the 1980s. Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC’s) are in most states and really emphasis the community setting and some models involve services such as healthcare and food service that are managed and operated by the residents.
6 minute YouTube Video describing the mechanics of a great estate sale.
