Whether you’re an avid estate sale shopper, a newbie, or you are considering having an estate sale yourself, here’s a list of the most common questions that we get asked!
What is an Estate Sale?
An Estate Sale happens when a company like CAIT’S is hired to help liquidate (sell) the belongings of a person, family, or estate. It is a professional, thorough, delicate and carefully coordinated process to maximize the value of the assets that will be sold. An estate sale isn’t only for when someone passes away. They are also conducted for business liquidations, moving (downsizing, transitioning into assisted living, etc.), bankruptcies and divorces. Estate Sales are open to the public and typically held on weekends.
What if there are items I don’t want to sell in the home?
No worries! A lot of estate sales have a handful of items that are not for sale. You just simply move them to a designated area (typically a bedroom) and they will be excluded from the sale.
Are there any items you cannot sell?
Yes. Some items include ivory, liquor, medicine or tobacco.
How do you stage a sale?
Staging depends on the property and the assets that will be sold, but once CAIT’S is hired, a dedicated team leader and crew gets assigned to the sale. We bring in our own tables and CAIT’S tablecloths to help display all items in the home. Once items are displayed and staged, all items get photographed and priced. Lastly, we aggressively advertise the sale with marketing campaigns via digital, social, and print.
How do I prepare for my sale?
First: Figure out what items will be included in the sale and what items are not for sale. Once you’ve done this, call CAIT’S and have us come out for a free consultation.
Second: Do not throw anything out – let us take care of that. We don’t want you tossing something that could be of value. Our team will sort through everything and figure out what will sell and what can be discarded.
Third: If you can, avoid selling or giving away items to friends and neighbors. Most of those items will be attractive to buyers and will draw more people into your sale … and the more people you can attract to your sale, the more successful it will be!
How do you price your items?
We price items with two goals in mind; maximizing the value for our clients while also offering a fair price to our customers who will be purchasing the items. Our well-trained staff accomplishes this by utilizing our experience from conducting over 200 estate sales a year along with conducting research via several fee-based resources to research unique and/or higher-value items.
What is a sign up sheet?
On sale days, we put a sign up sheet on the front door of the property at 7:00 am. The sign up sheet gives our customers the opportunity to purchase a specific item from the sale and also allows us to manage the amount of people in the property. When the doors open at 9:00 am, we call in a handful of people (in order). Throughout the day, our team will put the sign up sheet back on the front door if the property reaches capacity.
Do you allow pre-sales?
No, to make it fair for all of our customers, we do not offer pre-sales. All items will only be available for purchase during sale days/hours. However, you do have the option to arrive at the sale early and put your name down on the sign-up sheet, which gets posted on the front door of the property at 7:00am each morning. When the sale opens at 9:00am, we will begin calling in customers based on the order of the sign-up sheet.
How do you purchase items from an estate sale?
Merchandise moves very quickly, so if there is a specific item that you’re interested in, your best chance of getting it is to put your name on the sign-up sheet (which gets put on the front door at 7:00am each morning). If you cannot attend the sale in person, you can also purchase an item over the phone and pick it up by 2:00pm on the last day of the sale. However, phone purchases are not allowed until everyone on the sign-up sheet has walked through the sale.
What happens to the items that didn’t sell?
The client decides what happens to unsold items. They can remain at the property or CAIT’S can be hired to clear them out. We will try to donate or consign as much as possible. Lower-value items may also be brought back to our warehouse to be included in our charity sales (proceeds from these sales get donated to various charities throughout the year). Items that are not donated or consigned will be disposed of.
What is a clear out service?
CAIT’S Clear out service removes all of the unsold items after the sale (certain speciality items may need to be contracted separately).
Do you offer consignment?
Yes! We have a two-story, 10,000 sq.ft. consignment warehouse and home goods store in Mokena. Have an item you’d like to consign with CAIT’S? Call our friendly warehouse team today for more details … we’re open 7 days a week! (708) 995-7746
Can I return an item that I purchased at your estate sale?
All sales are final so there are no refunds or exchanges. This is simply because you are not purchasing items from CAIT’S, you are purchasing them from our client. Therefore, we strongly recommend inspecting all items prior to purchasing.
What cities do you serve?
We serve greater Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, including: Addison, Alsip, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Berwyn, Bloomingdale, Blue Island, Bolingbrook, Bridgeview, Burbank, Burr Ridge, Carol Stream, Chicago, Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Countryside, Crest Hill, Crete, Darien, Downers Grove, Dyer, Edison Park, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Elmwood Park, Evergreen Park, Flossmoor, Frankfort, Franklin Park, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Harwood Heights, Hazel Crest, Hickory Hills, Hinsdale, Hobart, Homer Glen, Homewood, Indian Head Park, Joliet, Kankakee, La Grange, La Grange Park, Lemont, Lisle, Lockport, Lombard, Manhattan, Manteno, Melrose Park, Merrillville, Midlothian, Minooka, Mokena, Monee, Munster, Naperville, New Lenox, Niles, Northlake, Norwood Park, Oak Brook, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Olympia Fields, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Oswego, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Park Ridge, Peotone, Plainfield, River Forest, River Grove, Romeoville, Schaumburg, South Holland, Tinley Park, Western Springs, Westchester, Westmont, Wheaton, Willow Springs, Willowbrook, Wilmette, Winnetka, Woodridge, and more!
Why Hire CAIT’S?
CAIT’S sets the standard when it comes to conducting estate sales! We’re a well-respected company with a track record (and thousands of happy customers and clients) to prove it! Over 90% of our business comes from word of mouth and referrals so we must be doing something right!
Being one of the largest and most recognized estate sale companies in the Country doesn’t hurt either! With nearly 50 dedicated team members, we have the bandwidth to service over 200 sales per year, all while making each and every client feel as if they are our only client!
Our comprehensive marketing and advertising campaigns is just one of the reasons that our sales are so successful and attract so many people (our friendly and outgoing staff is another)!
We’re more than just an estate sale company and can help our clients with everything from A to Z! We also offer clear out services, commercial liquidation, consignment services, construction services, design services, off-site warehouse sales, and real estate services. We are also licensed and insured!
