Estate sales in Middle Tennessee
Estate sales in Middle Tennessee sell the contents of a home to the public, either on site with tagged prices or in a timed online sale. The method depends on what is in the house, because Common Hour runs mostly online now and works in person as the job calls for it. You see the plan for pricing, buyers and settling up before you commit.
Is this the right fit?
An estate sale is the right call when a house is full and most of what is in it should go. Tagged prices suit everyday furniture, kitchen goods, linens and tools when the house can open to the public. A timed online sale suits collectible, unique and vintage pieces, because bidders can compete from anywhere and no crowd comes through the rooms. Skip it when the house holds only a few pieces of real value, since those can go to consignment and the rest to a cleanout.
How it works.
Send a few photos
Reach out with pictures of the rooms and anything you are unsure about. Please do not haul anything off or hold a yard sale first. The box that looks like junk may be the best thing in the house.
We come take a look
The consultation is free. Jennifer walks through to see what you have, where it is and what the job will take, including parking, stairs and how buyers would get in and out.
Choose tagged or online
Our recommendation comes down to what the house holds and how it can be shown. Dates, hours and any end-of-sale price drops go in the plan.
Sort, price and catalogue
For a tagged sale, the rooms get grouped and each piece gets a price. For a timed sale, the contents get photographed and catalogued into lots with a published closing time.
Run the sale
Shoppers at a tagged sale walk the house, choose what they want and pay the marked price. Registered bidders in a timed sale compete on the online bidding platform and collect their lots in a published pickup window.
Clear the leftovers and settle up
Online buyers pay the escrow agent under Common Hour's auction terms, and the plan sets how shoppers pay at a tagged sale. Whatever does not sell goes to bulk buyers, specialists or a cleanout crew. Then we settle up with you.
Who handles what.
Common Hour handles
- Recommending a tagged sale or a timed online sale
- Sorting the rooms and pricing or cataloguing the contents
- Marketing the sale, nationally when it runs online
- Working the sale days or the online close
- Finding a home for what does not sell
- Settling up with you after the sale
You handle
- Taking out everything the family is keeping
- Pulling personal papers, photos and medicine
- Confirming with your estate attorney that you have authority to sell
- Telling us about anything promised to a relative or named in a will
How fees work.
The commission on an estate sale depends on what you have, where it is and what the job takes, and Common Hour lays it out before you commit. A timed online sale also adds a standard buyer's premium, paid by the buyer. Common Hour's auction terms set it at twelve percent of the hammer price, meaning the winning bid, unless modified in writing for that auction.
Commissions and fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable.
Questions about estate sales.
How do estate sales work?
The contents of a home get sorted and offered to the public in one organized sale. Shoppers at a tagged sale walk through and pay the marked price. Bidders in a timed online sale compete until the close and pick up afterward. Either way, what the family is not keeping gets offered, and what is left gets cleared.
How do estate sales work for sellers?
Your part comes mostly up front: remove what the family is keeping, pull personal papers and sign off on the plan. We take over the sorting, pricing, buyers and leftovers, then settle up with you. Many sellers stay away on sale days, since watching strangers go through a parent's things is hard.
What does an estate sale company charge?
Many estate sale companies work on commission, meaning a percentage of what the sale brings in, and some add charges for cleanup. At Common Hour the number depends on what you have, where it is and what the job takes, and you see it before you commit. Commissions and fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable.
Where can I find estate sales near me?
Common Hour does not run a weekly sale calendar. A sale happens when a job calls for one, and most now run online, so you can bid without driving to the house. Open lots appear on our auction pages while a sale is running.
Do you work as an estate sale company in Franklin TN and Nashville?
We handle estate sales in Nashville, Franklin and Brentwood, along with the rest of Williamson, Davidson, Rutherford and Maury counties. If you are comparing estate sale companies in Franklin TN, ask each one who clears the leftovers and how buyers pay.
What happens to items that do not sell?
The plan settles that before the sale starts. On a full engagement, leftovers go to bulk buyers, vintage clothing stores, scrappers and metal buyers, or a cleanout crew. Pieces that would do better elsewhere can go to another auction house or specialist.
