Cindy Schmidt got up before sunrise recently to be first in line at an estate sale in Western Springs.
Schmidt, who is an avid shopper of estate sales, had her eyes on a blue-hued abstract painting that she thought would look nice in her home in Mount Prospect.
“I’ve decorated my whole house with them (items found at estate sales). I’ve gotten some great deals,” she said.
Estate sales, in contrast to garage sales, are held within the confines of a home rather than in the garage. They often are held when a person passes away and family members want to dispense of belongings acquired over their loved one’s lifetime.
But they’ve gown to be more than sales held when a person dies, estate sale operators agree.
“An estate sale is no longer when Aunt Millie dies and you need to sell everything,” said Chris Krapil, director of business development for Shop Melee in Willowbrook, which organized the Western Springs sale. “It could be that people moved to a new place and they’re selling things they want to get rid of.”
Bill Guest Jr., who operates A Moment in Time Estate Sales in Lombard with his father, also named Bill Guest, agrees.
Estate sales are also organized because of divorces, foreclosures and because people are moving.
“There’s been a mass exodus from Illinois,” said Bill Guest Jr. “People are going to Florida and Arizona. Instead of leaving it for their kids to clear out, they hire us to go in there and sell things and they’re going to get a fresh start.”
Josefa Szymalanska of Darien and her husband, Michal, recently attended an estate sale held in Darien by Moment in Time.
“I like tools,” said Michal Szymalanski as he carted a large box of them from the house.
Schmidt finds the estates sales she attends at www.estatesales.net, a website that provides a list of sales occurring along with photos so people can do their homework.
She got up at 4 a.m. to be at the Western Springs sale early because she had previewed photographs of what would be sold and knew she wanted the painting.
Krapil explained there is a protocol that estate sale buyers follow to prevent disputes when more than one person wants an item for sale.
“People want to be first in line at an estate sale because we have a sign-in sheet,” he said. “The first person on the list will have dibs on it.”
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That process, he said, “eliminates any negativity toward us. We try to be as fair as possible.”
Joanne Shimizu of Westchester and her partner, Gail Maru, have operated Treasures Estate Sales for five years.
Summer is high season for estates sales, Shimizu said.
“We have a sale every single weekend,” she said.
She said their company earns a commission of 30 percent on what is sold, and that’s common in the industry.
Estate sale companies research items for sale, clean and organize and shut off any areas of the home where items are not for sale. They also staff the sale.
“We want to sell the items for as much money as possible,” she said. “We don’t want to put a $100 price tag on it if it should be getting $800.”
Though the American Society of Estate Liquidators provides a code of ethics, the industry is largely unregulated. Anyone planning an estate sale needs to do their due diligence, Shimizu said.
She advises getting recommendations from others who have liquidated an estate via the company and attending a sale they organize.
“Let’s face it. This is a trust-based business. You need to find someone who you feel is going to look out for your best interest,” she said.
Some of the rules in the code of ethics includes keeping seller’s information confidential and taking steps to determine fair value.
Attending estate sales is a regular activity for Schmidt who scored two paintings at the sale in Western Springs. Though she loves the thrill of finding a deal, she is trying to spend less time on the hunt now that her home if fully decorated.
“I’m trying to cut back,” she said. “I’m just not going as often. The downfall is you sometimes buy things you don’t really need,” she said.
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