Estate Solutions of Knoxville, TN has been conducting estate sales and appraisals since 1999. We pride ourselves in our integrity to provide families with professional and reliable assistance when they are faced with the need to sell the contents of a home. An estate sale might be necessary if someone has passed away, is moving to a retirement community or nursing home, or is just downsizing. Our services vary depending on your needs.
Estate Sales
When a family is faced with the need to have an estate sale, Estate Solutions can be there to help with what is often a very tiring and emotional time. We help by organizing, cleaning as necessary, displaying, researching and pricing, advertising and promoting the contents of the home as well as conducting the public sale with trustworthy staff to ensure the best outcome for the family. We work on a commission basis. There are NO upfront fees or hidden costs. We provide the labor to sort and stage, the supplies to tag and price, the research, and the advertising as well as staffing the actual sale days. These expenses come out of our commission. After a free consultation with you, we will be happy to discuss our commission percentage and answer any other questions you might have.
WHAT IS A TRUE ESTATE SALE? We consider a truly good estate sale to be one that includes a lifetime accumulation of a variety of items: clothing, furniture, kitchenware, knickknacks, jewelry, and maybe even a vehicle. This is the type of sale that might draw a great crowds of both regular and passerby customers who are eager to shop. Our customers love to see a full house - the more the better! Customers are searching for anything from a true antique piece, a practical useful item, or even new or barely used items.
We sell EVERYTHING - linens, towels, dishes, furniture, small and large appliances, silver, jewelry, cars, boats & RVs, clothing, shoes, books, tools, office supplies, crafting items - even down to tin foil and cleaning supplies! With that being said, it is imperative that you DO NOT THROW AWAY OR DONATE ANYTHING until we have met with you. What you might think is trash may actually be of some value - broken jewelry (fine or costume), old postcards, event tickets, and old records are just a few items that we have successfully sold.
Buyouts & Tradeouts
Estate Solutions offers these services when circumstances do not allow for a normal estate sale to be held. There are many reasons why an estate sale cannot be conducted in the home - lack of parking , lack of time for properly getting a sale ready, or lack of enough personal property to hold a public sale. This is not our first recommendation but sometimes it may be your best option. Generally you will get more money by having an estate sale versus a buyout or tradeout.
These viable options might be warranted if it is felt there is not enough personal property to sell in a regular estate sale. During our free consultation, part of our assessment is to know if there are enough items in the home that would draw a good crowd on sale day. Another reason one of these options might be warranted is when there is a time restraint - the family simply needs to have the contents of a residence removed as quickly as possible and there is not enough time to stage, price, and advertise a public sale. In a buyout, we will assess the contents and come up with an amount we can offer to pay for the whole estate after considering the labor involved to box and remove the contents for you. A tradeout is sometimes helpful when the family just needs to have the house cleared out. This would involve Estate Solutions providing the labor to box and remove the contents of the home so that the family does not have to do this. In exchange for this service, we take possession of the contents as payment for our services. We have the manpower, trucks, trailers, and packing materials readily available to assist in either buyouts or tradeouts. In either option, we leave the home empty, swept, and counters wiped clean. This can be more economical versus paying a junk removal company. We can provide excellent references from families who we have been able to help and have benefited from this option - we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Certified Appraisals
Estate Solutions offers appraisals conducted by staff that have been certified by CAGA (Certified Appraisers Guild of America) after completion of the appraiser certification education program. They remain members in good standing with CAGA and have made a commitment to the Certified Appraiser's Guild Code of Professional Ethics and Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. Our certified appraisal service is provided for valuing the personal property of an estate to help with taxes or distribution to heirs.
We provide a professional report that includes:
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A complete, accurate description of the property (pictures can be provided as an additional service)
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Analysis of the factors affecting value that reflect the appraiser's observation of condition, provenance, and research related to an item in accordance with the standards required by government authorities
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A definition of value appropriate to the type of appraisal
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A value for the property appraised and substantiated by the report analysis
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A page listing the qualifications of the appraiser
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The appraiser's statement that the appraiser does not have a financial interest in the property
We recommend that you never hire an appraiser that charges based on a percentage of the appraised value of items or someone who wants to buy or broker the items for you. This is not considered ethical and makes it difficult for an appraiser to be objective. We charge an hourly rate to perform appraisals.