Questions to Ask an Estate Company

Ask about scope, method, and paperwork before price. A company that tells you plainly what it will handle, how it gets paid, and what you will hold in writing at the end is easy to judge. One that talks around those points is telling you something too.

Use the same list with every company you call. Write the answers down side by side. Watch for the provider whose answers get vaguer as your questions get more specific.

Scope

• Does the scope cover the whole estate, storage unit and second property included, or only the house?
• Who decides what stays and what goes if the family disagrees?
• What happens to items that do not sell or are not bought?
• Is clearing the house part of this, or a separate job?

Method and timing

• Is this a purchase, a managed sale, an auction, or a mix?
• What is the schedule from first walkthrough to an empty house?
• How are proceeds figured, and when are they paid?
• What paperwork does the estate receive at the end?

Checking who you are hiring

Ask any company what licenses it holds for the kind of sale it proposes. Rules differ by category, and not every outfit holds the license a given sale calls for.

Ask a second, separate question about insurance. Who covers the estate’s belongings while they are in the house, on a truck, or in a warehouse? Ask the provider to walk you through the coverage, and do not settle for a one-word yes.

Warning signs

• Pressure to sign before you have slept on it
• Fuzzy answers about leftover or unwanted items
• Nothing in writing before work begins
• Reluctance to say how the company is paid

What a straight answer sounds like

A company sure of its process states scope, method, and payment without hedging, and writes them down without being asked twice. If one of these questions gets a shrug or a change of subject, count that as an answer.