Part 2 Mid Mod to Granny Chic
Mid Mod to Granny Chic
A truly fabulous auction is coming up! The auction link will be posted soon.
https://hibid.com/company/138960/honey-stop-the-car-vintage
Where to find Honey Stop The Car!
Facebook @honeystopthecarvintage
Instagram @honeystopthecar_vintage_merch
Estate Storage Auction
Austin TX Estate Auction
This auction closes September 10th http://www.assets2cash.net/auction/588
Royce City Estate Auction
Our current auction is filled to the brim with items dating back to the late 1800’s. We hope you enjoy browsing and look forward to seeing you on pickup day.
Please follow this link for all auction info www.assets2cash.net/auction/579
Duncanville Estate Auction
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we are now live and ready for bidders https://www.assets2cash.net/auction/561
Estate Sale Advice
So you have decided to downsize or there has been a death of a loved one and you are not sure what to do with all the STUFF. Well this blog can hopefully help with this seemingly overwhelming dilemma.
There are several options for clearing out a home. An Estate (Tag) Sale, Auction or Buy Out. The following will detail each option and then we will follow up with tips for choosing the best company for you.
Estate Sale:
An estate sale is held at the home open to the public. Run by professionals who come in the home to sort stage and price items for sale.
Auction:
An auction can be conducted two ways. The company can haul everything to another location and conduct a live auction open to the public or an online auction can be posted from the home where winning bidders from the online listings come to the home and pick up what they have won.
Buy Out:
A flat amount is offered for the contents of the home and if accepted the company clears out everything purchased.
Choosing the best fit is based on the time frame of the sale and the amount of items available.
Tips for choosing a company for any of these options:
First Do Not Wait till the last minute. The majority of reputable companies book up months in advance. This is not to say a reputable company can’t be found but it is in your best interest to plan way far ahead. It is also preferable to have the sale before the home is put on the market. In today’s market unless the home is worth a sizable amount it is not necessary for it to be staged for home shoppers. If your realtor insists then arrange for a staging company after the home is cleared out.
The best place to start the hunt for a professional is asking friends for referrals. Sometimes friend’s experience is your best bet. Your other option are websites that advertise sales. WARNING none of these sites vet companies, any Tom Dick or Linda can advertise on these sites. We advise talking to at least three companies to start with. Visit a current sale of each and peruse previous sales they have advertised.
Keep in mind that not all companies are looking for the same sort of sale. Some companies prefer more contemporary inventory while others are interested in an estate filled with vintage. Some companies prefer a clean quick prep and others like to get down and dirty.
Before making appointments make a list of sentimental items, do a cursory search preferably without trashing the home, be sure to remove items the family intends to keep or at least mark large items with a post it and group together smalls or box them up. It is best to have already gone through the home contents before meeting with the professionals. Most professionals will encourage you not to throw anything away. No matter how insignificant you will be surprised what people will buy. Dumpsters and Donations are for after the sale.
Okay, you have chosen three companies for consideration. Before you make your decision please go over our checklist.
Interview Checklist
Do they have a website and is it current?
Do they have a social media presence and is it utilized daily?
How and where do they advertise?
Do they have an email list?
How many sales do they average per month?
How long have they been in business?
How many employees will have access to the home?
Do they provide an accounting of the items sold and what was the sale price?
Do they provide a cleanout service after the sale?
Do they prefer vintage or contemporary sales?
Has the company operated under another name in the past?
When are the sale funds available?
Questions Professionals Will Have For You
Square footage of the home?
How long was the home occupied?
Any special interest items? ex: hobbies, collections, etc.
Is the homeowners insurance current?
Are you the POA or Executor of the estate?
Does anyone currently occupy the home?
Are the utilities on and operational?
Is there a security alarm?
Has the home been occupied by smokers or pets?
Is the home subject to HOA restrictions?
Has there been any type of sale from the home in the last year?
Is there any pending litigation against the estate?
Is the home scheduled for demo?
If you have any questions please feel free to message us
Plumbing Problems
We have been through a week long ordeal that clearly did not have to last that long or be this frustrating. I really can’t stand dishonesty. Taking advantage of people in an emergency situation is unforgivable.
This situation started last Sunday evening when I walked into our master bath and heard water running although nothing was turned on. We start running around trying to figure out what the noise was and discovered our backyard flooded as though 5 inches of rain had fallen in an hour. We shut the water off and monitored the water pouring out from under the back of our house for another half hour.
Sunday evening nothing we can do till Monday morning. Our first inclination was to call the folks that did a bunch of repairs for us when we bought the house, but after laying awake ruminating I thought it was best to call our home warranty company, we paid for it might as well try to use it.
The first set back was we were not likely going to get a plumber out till Thursday. OK it is just the two of us we can deal, filled up gallon jugs in order to flush toilets, rinse off dishes and drink. Got a cheap hotel room nearby for one night to take showers.
Wednesday came and we get a call that the detection team is ahead of schedule and they will be stopping by within the hour. Woo Hoo!!! Mind you we were expecting the worst, the amount of water gushing from under the back of the house was in my opinion catastrophic.
The team shows up and gets to work after we summarize what we experienced.
Red Flag #1, we are all standing in master bath but can’t hear the water gushing, plumber says “oh I hear it”. There was absolutely no noise like I heard before.
Red Flag #2, While they are running the air into the pipes, Clay and I clearly observe water gushing from a pipe in the area of the secondary cutoff at the front of the house that faces towards the back.
Red Flag #3 The head dude on the team (whom we discover later is the company owner) claims he hears water under the master bedroom closet and they will have to tunnel under the house to repair. We ask about the water we observed and his reply “the water is following the path of least resistance” Um OK? Basically he is saying ignore what your eyes observed, this is what is really happening.
Red Flag #4 After initially telling us the warranty company will only pay $500 towards the total bill suddenly he back tracks and says “oh sometimes they will pay up to $1000. but I tell customers $500 so they don’t expect $1000.
Finally we have a detailed estimate and our hearts sank, the total was over $6000, to tunnel under the house, jack hammer the sidewalk, replace pipe under the house and rebuild sidewalk. No way we can afford this and my gut is telling me this is ridiculously high. Now, if we hadn’t had a bunch of plumbing work done when we bought the house back in the spring I likely wouldn’t have questioned his estimate. We decide to pay the detection fee and seek a second opinion.
Boy are we glad we got a second opinion. We went from over $6000 to a simple repair costing around $750. Turns out the leak was as we witnessed, the pipe on the secondary cutoff valve had come apart as seen in the pics below, no tunneling, no jackhammer, just a new valve and section of pipe replaced. The water we heard gushing under the master bath was simply the water from that pipe gushing under the house along the foundation beam, following that and running out under the back of the house.
We are very disappointed we were clearly being taken advantage of in an emergency situation. At this time we are not identifying the bad company, we will report them to the warranty company, after all they are basically getting screwed also and discuss a possible refund for the detection fee (good luck getting that back). The company we got the second opinion from would like to stay anonymous.
Moral of the story, go with your gut, get a second opinion if possible and don’t always trust reviews. The bad company has glowing yelp reviews.
Hubbard Texas Estate Auction
Our first auction in the country! We a very excited for y’all to see all the awesome treasures. http://www.texasclix.com/auction/465
Honey Stop The Car! Estate Liquidation 