Stage 1 - Pre Sale
During the pre-sale stage we organize the contents of the house, price everything, and make sure the sale is well advertised.
Stage 2 - Sale Days
Once everything is ready we run a multi-day estate sale. We have ample friendly staff, help customers load their purchases, and give away as many smiles as we can.
Stage 3 - Post Sale
After the sale we donate any remaining items to a local non-profit charity, leave the house broom swept, and send you a check within 7 days.
Pre-Sale
Organizing / Pricing / Advertising
Staging:
We begin the staging process by creating a site plan that guides the organization and arrangement of the home, room by room. Our set-up team implements the site plan, working from the the back of the basement to the farthest corners of the attic, creating a store-like display. We believe that when a home is clean, well organized, and properly staged it results in better sale totals for our clients. Customers find more enjoyment in the experience, shop longer and purchase more.
Below is a slideshow of before and after pictures in a few of the houses we’ve worked in.
Pricing:
While the set-up team is organizing away, our pricers are hard at work assigning a value to every single item in the house. Our staff includes two certified CAGA personal property appraisers who manage the whole pricing process. Each week we’re assigning values on 2,000 to 4,000 individual items with over 150,000 items priced in a year. Pricing and selling such a high volume keeps us very familiar with current market values. For any objects that need extra attention we turn to our pricing resources to research the value. We also have relationships with local and national auction houses for any items that we feel are best served by being auctioned to a wider audience.
The gallery to the right showcases a sampling of interesting items we’ve sold.
Advertising:
Having your estate advertised properly is key to a great sale.
Extensive Photographs
Throughout the pre-sale process we professionally photograph items in the home, creating a comprehensive online photo album showcasing the contents of the estate sale. This enables our customers to “walk” through the sale from the comfort of their home before the sale even begins. The sale photography is included in the estate sale listing and posted on our social media platforms.
Listings on EstateSales.net & BrownButton.com
EstateSales.net is the most viewed estate sales web site in the country. We have the highest level membership available which gives Brown Button sales prime visability over lower membership companies in Kansas City. We also post each sale on BrownButton.com with a comprehensive description and extensive photo album.
Multiple Craigslist Ads
We create a Craigslist post for the sale as a whole, for large categories of items represented in the sale like antiques or jewelry, and for the most expensive items in the sale like name brand furniture and vehicles.
Average Views Per Sale
Social Media Fans Following Our Posts
Customers Who Have Signed Up For Our Emails List
Sale Days
Permit & Signs / Customer Service / Register System
Permit & Signs:
Sale Permit
Certain cites in the KC area require a permit to hold an estate sale. We take care of the whole process and make sure we always have a well displayed permit when required.
Directional Signs
Drive by traffic is key to success for any estate sale. We place directional signs at all of the nearest major streets, leading customers straight to the sale.
House Yard Sign
With all of the customer cars parked on the street, finding the sale location can be confusing. We addressed this with signage out front letting customers know the open hours and applicable discount.
No Parking Signs
We’ve discovered (the hard way) that having no parking signs all along one side of the street prevents traffic jams and makes the whole driving/parking arrangement work quite a bit better. We also place signs in front of neighborhood mailboxes, asking customers not to park there.
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Positive Customer Reviews
Customer Service:
Our digital receipt system gives every customer the option to review our services. Of the 353 reviews we’ve received, 342 of them we’re positive (97%). Out of those positive reviews, 239 customers specifically commented on our customer service.
Blowing our customers away with our incredible service is a goal we take very seriously at every sale we host. We will wrap their fragile items in paper for them, bag any purchases, and carry heavy items to their car. We specifically staff several hefty gentlemen to carry furniture purchases out of the house and into their vehicles. All our team members have walkie-talkies so we can effectively communicate to answer customers questions without having to bellow through the house. Outrageous customer service really is a part of our DNA.
Feel free to put us to the test and drop by any of our upcoming sales.
Register System:
One of the more frustrating aspects of shopping at an estate sale can be the long lines at checkout. The norm is one employee at a card table with a cash box, telling every customer that wants to pay with debit or credit that they don’t accept cards. In response we created a quick & effective checkout system that:
Accepts Credit & Debit Cards
60% off all the purchases made at our sales happen with cards. Customers want to pay with debit and credit, so we make that process easy.
Utilizes Multiple Registers
Opening morning of our sales we have at least three registers running and we’ll use as many as six to insure the customers are assisted quickly.
Tracks Item Sales
Our digital registers track the category totals for everything sold in the estate as well as generating an itemized list of each item priced over $100.
Post Sale
Clean Out / Payment / Feedback
Clean Out:
After the completion of the estate sale we handle the few remaining unsold items. The majority of the time the items are donated to a local charity with our clients receiving the tax benefit. We then remove any trash from house, sweep & vacuum all the floors, and wipe down the counters. Most of our clients homes are about to be listed for sale or are already headed towards closing. We take great efforts post-sale to leave the house looking show ready.
Payment:
Estatesales.Org polled thousands of estate sale companies across the United States and found that the average estate sales grosses a grand total of $8,300. Most Brown Button estate sale, in comparison, grosses between:
In addition to our overall higher average, within the past year we’ve hosted estate sales that have grossed:
Our higher than average totals are the result of:
Maximizing Value
Extra effort into display, educated pricers, extensive advertising, over-the-top customer services, and a streamlined checkout system all combine to maximize the value of every estate sale we host.
Developed Trust
With our reputation for quality, we have been entrusted to handle some of the nicest estates in the Kansas City area. From the previous CEO of Applebee’s, to the number one grossing real estate agent in KC – we’ve hosted some of the top estate sales in the metro.
Feedback From Our Previous Clients
In addition to the testimonials found on our site, you can find more customer and client reviews on Yelp, Google+, and Facebook.
“Best decision we ever made was to have Brown Buttons handle our estate sale. All we did was remove the items we wanted and they took care of ALL the details from advertising, organizing, logging of items, appraisals, pricing, sale, clean up and removal of few items left. Felt completely at ease with the staff as they are all professional, detailed and trustworthy and made our lives simplier with less of “The Stuff” giving us time to start a new living life style. “Downsizing” with less is more. They did all the work and made the sale better than we had hoped for and it was STRESS free for us. Can’t say enough kind words to express our gratitude. ”
Janis Brandt / Overland Park“After deciding to significantly downsize from a large 4bd/3.5ba house in the suburbs to a smaller loft condo in another city, I was left with the challenge of what to do with all that I had accumulated over the years. An estate sale seemed like the perfect solution. Before deciding on Brown Button I “shopped” several estate sales and interviewed numerous estate sale companies. There was never a question that Brown Button stood head and shoulders above the rest. I was not only impressed with Michael Fry during our interview, but during one of their estate sales that I attended I found the staff to be extremely professional in appearance and demeanor, and the sale was very well organized. Feeling that Brown Button was THE estate sale company for me was confirmed during and after my estate sale. The sale and follow up was just as I had expected. I could not be more pleased with my experience with Brown Button, and would not hesitate for a moment to highly recommend them to anyone considering an estate sale. ”
Mark Bermingham / Leawood” I knew we had identified the best estate sale company for my parents house when I was told by two of their local competitors, who opted out of consideration, that Brown Button was the company they would use. Even with that solid recommendation, Brown Button totally exceeded our expectations. These guys are real pros when it comes to estate sale set-up, marketing, implementation, clean-up and accountability. Better yet, their entire team proved to be people of integrity who could be trusted to always act in the best interest of their customer. They delivered a 6-star performance for us and I would recommend them to anyone who is looking to have an estate sale. ”
Dave Francis / Prairie Village- Organization of the Estate 99%
- Pricing of the Estate Sale 94%
- Professionalism of the Staff 99%
- Communication by the Staff 97%
- Overall Expectations Met 97%
After every estate sale we host, we ask our client to let us know how we did. They fill out a review form ranking us from 1-5 in five different categories. Here are the scores averaged over the past three years.
The Next Step
Brown Button hosting your sale starts with a two part consultation. The first part is a 5 minute online form. Questions like the location of the house and available time frame help us evaluate if we’re a good fit for your needs.
From there we’ll schedule an on site consultation. Factors we’ll be looking at include the amount of time needed to set up and what items will be included in the sale. At the on site consultation we’ll propose a commission rate for our services. The percentage ranges between 25%-50% depending on the above factors. We’re not the least expensive company in town and we’re not trying to be. We go above and beyond to serve our clients well and make every aspect of this process a positive experience for them.
Ready To Take The Next Step?
Fill out our online estate sale form.
Still have more questions?
Visit our FAQ page where we provide answers to many of the often asked questions.