Estate Sale Companies in Middle Tennessee

Busy Bee Moving and Estate Sales - https://www.busybeemovingsales.com 615-569-4734 - Estate Sales Professionals in Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin Tn.

With approximately 30 estate sale companies in Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin, Tennessee, how do you find the best company for your estate sale needs? 

I have many friends and colleagues conducting liquidation services in the Middle Tennessee Area and proud to say we have a wonderful group of companies.  By keeping a network of friendly communication,  we are providing the Nashville and surrounding area with a variety of services and integrity at a reasonable cost compared to other areas.  

The Best Estate Sales Company Based on Your Needs

Most companies in the Nashville area are in the 35% range of commission which is less than many of the larger cities in other states who are charging as much as 50% commission.  Some companies will vary in their charges depending on the cost of labor, distance and extra costs such as dumpster, trash hauling or necessary shuttle service.  Final cleanouts after the sale are also negotiable for most companies.  Busy Bee refers clients to local charities and final clean out individuals to complete the final process after the sale.  This insures the client full control of their personal property after the sale. Some companies provide their own in house junk removal.  Depending on the client's needs, these extra services should be considered when choosing the best estate sale company for their family.  

A walk-through with an estate sale company will give them a more individualized approach for conducting your sale and a give you the opportunity to negotiate services that fit your unique situation.

Is an Auction or Estate Sale better?

Due to the pandemic, many companies were forced to experiment with different business plans to accommodate for reluctant shoppers. Busy Bee does most on site tag sales however, we have done online tag sales if the client's situation did not merit an in-person sale due to parking, HOA restrictions or home conditions.  Several estate sale companies in Nashville exclusively provide online tag sales and auctions online through either estatesales.net, estatesales.org or Hibid.  Most companies in Nashville will also offer a privately listed estate sale where customers sign up through apps such as Signupgenuis.

Again, if parking, HOA rules, or privacy is a concern, a private estate sale is the best option.  We at Busy Bee have found that the best estate sale with the most shoppers is the in-person onsite tag sale.  

What do Estate Sale Companies in Middle Tennessee charge?

Middle Tennessee estate sale companies generally do not charge separately for base amounts of the total gross of the sale.  Since the final sale number is unknown and generally a guess, this method can be confusing.  Busy Bee does not have a percentage based on a minimum amount such as a sliding scale.  We simply must turn down sales that we feel will be less revenue than labor during the preview.  Those customers are referred to our estate sale referral list of companies and alternative resources such as charities and cleanout companies. 

How to choose an estate sale company?

Estate sale companies in middle Tn., have overall been a collaborating entity of family businesses providing a similar cost effective, honest service in our area.  With many new companies in the past 5 years, Busy Bee recommends you vet, interview and visit estate sales before choosing the best estate sale company for you.  Personal preference, communication and specific services will be the determining factors for a successful sale. 

Finding the Best Estate Sale Business

And lastly, asking your friends and relatives or even your local Facebook pages, for referrals for the best estate sale company near you will give you a start in your search for a good company. Google is only a search engine catering to businesses that can navigate SEO and advertise their way to internet presence, not a clear indication of a company that is best suited for your estate sale needs.

Estate Sales and Surviving Covid

Busy Bee Moving and Estate Sales - https://www.busybeemovingsales.com 615-569-4734 - Estate Sales Professionals in Nashville, Tn.

It's been three years now that I've updated this blog.  We have certainly learned a few things during this time thanks to the pandemic but we made it and yes, everyone learned a few lessons, most importantly, flexibility.  First we were met with fear and anger, then the shift of the market and now leveling out to an uptick in sales but a struggle for employees as most businesses are experiencing.

I'll never forget the first morning of our sale opening after only a 2 week break from the shutdown.  We announced that we would follow the local health guidelines for whatever area we were working out of as every county was different.  We posted signs of our new practices such as employee screening, handwashing station, masks (which we provided), social distancing and limiting the number of patrons.  We also made a plexiglass shield from an old poster I had, hand sanitizer and Lysol spray.  We also invented a term called "shop chat" where customers could Facetime us and purchase items and be given curb service.  We had no idea if anyone would even show up.  That morning I opened the door and there were about 50 people standing in the yard shoulder to shoulder with no masks waiting to come in.  Oh dear.  I quickly explained we wanted to provide this service and in order to do so we'd have to follow guidelines whether I liked it or not.  Everyone graciously complied and we had a great sale.  After 2 weeks of being couped up in the house, people were ready to get back to normal.  We did have a few use the curb service approach and many didn't come back to the sales for months.  We missed many of our older shoppers and a younger crowd surfaced.  

After the first year we noticed an increase in sales.  With the supply chain issues, we were able to sell furniture and items that were on back order.  People were buying used furniture until their new was delivered, sometimes months later.  With the supply chain issues came inflation so again, estate sales became an optimum opportunity to save money.  

There was a downside to the retail world too in the form of employment and customer relations.  We lost several of our older helpers who were invaluable to the knowledge of antiquities and due to closing down the local flea markets, it was a great loss of revenue for the vendors.  The estate sales we did were more successful due to the lack of garage sales for awhile. There was also a big turnover in companies.  Many estate sale companies decided it was a good time to retire while new ones filled the market demand.  We certainly had to cut back from our average of 40-45 sales a year to 26 in 2020,  21, and 22.  That decrease allowed us to use a smaller staff. 

We weathered through a tough year but fortunately for our company and the families that needed our services, we successfully stayed afloat. A new generation of estate sale shoppers, inflation driving more to estate sales for goods and more awareness of estate sales in the area due to social networking have all been factors in increased shoppers.