Selling home and contents, what did you do.

[kcmusa]

I’m considering selling home and things I don’t need.
How did you who sold it all and went full time sell the items in your homes?

[IsleDog]

my father inlaw and his wife recently did this. they sold off the bigger stuff, gave stuff away to the kids, and everything else was put outside for a garage sale. i remember at the end of the last day they were just giving stuff away. some guy came with a van and left with it full of free stuff.

[llr]

I would contact an auctioneer that does estate sales and see what they say. I have not used one but have attended several.

[DougW]

We got kind of lucky when we sold our house, our grandson bought it and the only thing he already owned was a bedroom set and his clothes. We did sell some of the larger things on Facebook Marketplace. We also had a garage sale and when it was over we gave the rest of the usable stuff to the Salvation Army store. The majority of the furniture, the kitchen cupboards full of stuff and some of the linens went with the house.

If we had not sold to someone who wanted it furnished we had planned on doing an auction. There are people around who specialize in household sales and they usually seem to get good results.

[KennyGolub]

We sold what we could (not much as the prospective buyers want it for next to nothing), so we ended up giving almost everything away to friends and family.
Just our experience.....YMMV

.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Some people put their belongings into storage until they decide if full timing is their new lifestyle. Many people find that full timing is not their cup of tea and end up buying or renting a permanent place to live. Furnishing a new residence can be costly.
We're a couple and one would be happy living on the road. The other needs a permanent residence so we kept the home. ( An adult child lives there to watch the home while we travel)

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Some people put their belongings into storage until they decide if full timing is their new lifestyle. Many people find that full timing is not their cup of tea and end up buying or renting a permanent place to live. Furnishing a new residence can be costly.

We're a couple and one would be happy living on the road. The other needs a permanent residence so we kept the home. ( An adult child lives there to watch the home while we travel)

x2
I've always liked the idea of full timing but was pretty sure the DW would not.
We sold our house last July and have lived in our 26ft TT since July 11, 2021. We have been waiting for our new house in Phoenix to be built. But due to supply chain and labor issues, we've been full timing for over 7 months.
I'm now know, for sure, that full timing is not for her no matter if it's a bigger RV.
Luckily we have our stuff being stored in pods until we get the keys to the new house.

[rowdydog77]

We have used an auctioneer for one sell and have used a business that specializes in estate sales for the other one. Both of them worked for our needs at the time.

[itat]

I think it would be a good idea to store at least the big stuff until you’re 100% sure that you are going to be happy with the full time life. Some have even rented their home for a year or so to give them time to decide if they truly are going to be happy fulltiming. That way you don’t have storage fees and actually make money to pay your expenses. Even then, the pandemic has taught a lot of full timers that its good to have a home base where you can park it for an extended period.

If you are ready to sell off your belongings I would do what my Dad and step-Mom did. Offer stuff to the kids and grandkids and do an auction (they used an online auction service) to get the most you can for the rest. Consider donating some decent quality stuff to places that resell it for charity. Yard salers don’t want to give you more than change for anything you’re selling so that would be my last resort. The best you can hope for with that route is that people take your junk away for free so you don’t have to pay disposal fees.

If you opt for a smaller permanent home there are downsizing services out there who will help you with the process and the sale of the stuff you aren’t going to keep.

[PenJoe]

We held several estate sales. Technically, everything we own is in our estate. The title brings a lot of people. Your can hold your prices or negotiate.

Auctions work in the buyers' favor. It is a losing proposition for the sellers. We have gone to auctions wanting particular items. At one auction, we wanted a dining room furniture style that was difficult to find. It was solid oak with 6 chairs in new condition. Expecting to pay $900, the hammer dropped on $90. We purchased a wall unit bedroom set that should have sold for over a thousand dollars. It sold for $70. The rule for an auction is that it takes two buyers to have an auction-one wants it and the other wants it more. We don't put in the first bid, we will put in the last if it is something we want.

A couple of years ago, we sold two fishing boats and a few small items at auction. We should just have donated them to a charity.

On my third career after my first retirement, I had a Realtor's license. I also offered an estate sale option to sell the personal property of those sellers unable to do so on their own.

After leaving that profession, we sold 4 pieces of real estate by owner. All having been for sale less than a week. On three of those, it was in conjunction with the estate sale. Standard contracts for real estate are available on line. Before buyer and sellers signed, we had it reviewed by a real estate attorney. We advised the buyer that we wanted a clean contract for both parties. This as opposed to selling through a broker that may take more than two months in an average market.

There is one other option that works pretty well. Determine the price of the real estate and make an estimate of what furniture, appliances, etc. that could transfer to the home buyer. Add those two together and market the home at that price. It would be advertised as fully furnished, move in condition. The sales contract would stipulate, furniture and personal goods convey for the convenience of the seller. The wording eliminates questions a mortgage company would have. A mortgage company does not want to finance furniture and personal goods. This has helped both buyers and seller. If the buyer chooses to refurnish, they can sell what they don't want.

Positives and negative for selling and advice that I know does/does not work to your benefit.

[Kimber45]

We are in the process now. Sold house for cash keeping custody until May 1st when our summer campground opens. Headed to Flordia for the winter in October when our Michigan campground closes. Two campers paid for. One will be at each location seasonally and we will go back and forth. In the process of downsizing and sorting now. Garage sale/store/two campers.

House was bought by mom and dad. First time home owners moving in. Negoatied most of the big stuff into the sale of house.

[caper]

We had our items auctioned off. The only person who made any money was tha auctioneer. I would have been better off trying to sell at yard sales or on marketplace. My total amount received from the auction was a little over a thousand dollars.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

We held several estate sales. Technically, everything we own is in our estate. The title brings a lot of people. Your can hold your prices or negotiate.

Auctions work in the buyers' favor. It is a losing proposition for the sellers. We have gone to auctions wanting particular items. At one auction, we wanted a dining room furniture style that was difficult to find. It was solid oak with 6 chairs in new condition. Expecting to pay $900, the hammer dropped on $90. We purchased a wall unit bedroom set that should have sold for over a thousand dollars. It sold for $70. The rule for an auction is that it takes two buyers to have an auction-one wants it and the other wants it more. We don't put in the first bid, we will put in the last if it is something we want.

A couple of years ago, we sold two fishing boats and a few small items at auction. We should just have donated them to a charity.

On my third career after my first retirement, I had a Realtor's license. I also offered an estate sale option to sell the personal property of those sellers unable to do so on their own.

After leaving that profession, we sold 4 pieces of real estate by owner. All having been for sale less than a week. On three of those, it was in conjunction with the estate sale. Standard contracts for real estate are available on line. Before buyer and sellers signed, we had it reviewed by a real estate attorney. We advised the buyer that we wanted a clean contract for both parties. This as opposed to selling through a broker that may take more than two months in an average market.

There is one other option that works pretty well. Determine the price of the real estate and make an estimate of what furniture, appliances, etc. that could transfer to the home buyer. Add those two together and market the home at that price. It would be advertised as fully furnished, move in condition. The sales contract would stipulate, furniture and personal goods convey for the convenience of the seller. The wording eliminates questions a mortgage company would have. A mortgage company does not want to finance furniture and personal goods. This has helped both buyers and seller. If the buyer chooses to refurnish, they can sell what they don't want.

Positives and negative for selling and advice that I know does/does not work to your benefit.

You must of course realize the state laws will control real estate sales. For example in some states all realtors must work through brokers. Contracts vary widely between states. My wife has been a realtor over 20 years and if there is anything that will cause problems in the sale it is a dispute over what furniture and personal items are worth.
I like the storage idea, especially since I own one. Sorry it’s full.

[jimmoore13]

When my Dad and Mom died, my brother and I opted to liquidate the estate and sell the house...Keeseville, NY.
Selling the house and liquidating the personal goods were separate processes.

Selling the house: It turns out our parents' home was desirable enough that, while listed with a realtor, it was quickly sold to a neighbor...with a specific exclusion of the realtor from getting a commission on that sale. I have nothing against realtors, but this sale was based on our relationship with our neighbor.

In the case of all the personal/household goods, first we went through everything and chose the items that we wanted to keep, then we hired an estate auctioneer. These companies specialize in this kind of thing, and they have a somewhat loyal base of clients. Our auctioneer advertised the sale heavily and drew about 100 bidders to the event.

Things of real value were sold individually. The balance of the items, from hand tools to ropes to kitchen ware to boxes of antique newspapers to you name it, were all bundled and boxed in batches or lots. The items on top were most attractive, and to get them the buyer would bid on the box/lot.

The auction was completed over the course of two days. The service was expensive but worth it. The auctioneer's team came in and cleared out the house, two garages, and a shed, assembled and marked everything, setup a huge tent, arranged for remote parking and shuttle service, and aided purchasers with loading their purchases.

Bearing in mind that all the cream had been skimmed of the bottle before the auctioneer got involved, with the exception of a Duncan Phyfe dining set, what remained was of modest value. We netted about $13,000, and the auctioneer took about $8,000 when all was said and done. (There were a LOT of tools.)

CAUTION: years later, my wife and I were downsizing, and we tried to achieve a similar feat using an "auctioneer" in our area (Aurora, CO), and it was a disaster. We got next to nothing, despite having far more value in the items sold. It was conducted far more like a garage sale, and the auctioneer put little effort into marketing. At the end of the "sale," they hauled away tons of stuff to sell in their "thrift" store with a promise of forwarding our share. That never happened.

On balance, I still recommend this auction process assuming you can hire a reputable auctioneer who has a good track record and a loyal cadre of bidders (usually people stocking "antique" and thrift stores). Any methodology that resembles a yard sale is worthless. A real auction moves the product quickly and completely...even if box lots are going for $1, they are selling. Any methodology that claims to sell leftoveers after the fact is likely a scam.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by caper

We had our items auctioned off. The only person who made any money was tha auctioneer. I would have been better off trying to sell at yard sales or on marketplace. My total amount received from the auction was a little over a thousand dollars.

Exactly. This has been the result of any auction I have ever had first hand knowlege of.
The only time I recommend an auction service is when you just don't want to deal with it and you don't need the money. And read the contract! Had one friend who did this and he actually owed the auction house money when it was over.

[lacamastraveler]

We sold our Arizona winter home fully furnished. Was bid up twice first day on the market.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

You must of course realize the state laws will control real estate sales. For example in some states all realtors must work through brokers. Contracts vary widely between states. My wife has been a realtor over 20 years and if there is anything that will cause problems in the sale it is a dispute over what furniture and personal items are worth.
I like the storage idea, especially since I own one. Sorry it’s full.

Never had a problem writing those contracts nor getting mortgages approved that include household items in the contract. The bank gets a copy of the sales contract. The mortgage appraisers were getting their figures based upon the real estate only. In the mobile home community we are in now, it is common practice. We brought our boat, vehicle, clothing and a few personal items. Everything else was in place.

In states I am aware of, a Realtor must work under a broker. As for sales by owner, the same contract the Realtor/Broker uses is available on line. I would bet the same is available in the state you wife is a realtor. Strangely, having been a Realtor, I found selling a home by owner was faster than selling through a real estate agency. Maybe we were just lucky on the 4 properties we sold by owner. We were under contract in about a week on all of them.

Storage may be plausible under limited circumstances. Other than family heirlooms, storage can end up more of a headache and cost than the personal property is worth. Unless people still have roots after selling their home, storage would not be feasible. If you own a storage area, you have probably had renters that just quit paying rent and you had to auction the items off. In that event, you likely both lost money.

Some people do not feel comfortable filling in the blanks on a home sales contract, so they give the duty to an agent. Your wife is well aware, having been in the business for over 20 years, that all real estate agents are not created equal. Bad agents give bad results. I have personally taken agents and brokers before the state board. In the case of the broker, he was required to again take and pass the broker's course and state exam to keep his license.
Neither the broker nor the agents changed their practices. Still bad agents and bad results.

The above discussion of agents and brokers is not meant to offend you or your wife. There are a lot of good agencies and dedicated agents. The purpose is to give the OP choices. The real estate market is booming as is the RV market. But that can change in a heart beat

[HangDiver]

I just went through this last month after a death in the family. I offered the house for sale including all the contents (all furnishings, TVs, kitchen ware, everything). Within a few days I accepted an offer that was $10k over the asking price and it saved me a world of hassle.

I was able to unload everything in a single day and the new owners got a fully furnished/equiped turn-key home. Win - Win. For me personally, this was a simple transaction as I had no emotional attachment to the home and its contents.

I would do the same thing again in a heartbeat.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

Never had a problem writing those contracts nor getting mortgages approved that include household items in the contract. The bank gets a copy of the sales contract. The mortgage appraisers were getting their figures based upon the real estate only. In the mobile home community we are in now, it is common practice. We brought our boat, vehicle, clothing and a few personal items. Everything else was in place.

In states I am aware of, a Realtor must work under a broker. As for sales by owner, the same contract the Realtor/Broker uses is available on line. I would bet the same is available in the state you wife is a realtor. Strangely, having been a Realtor, I found selling a home by owner was faster than selling through a real estate agency. Maybe we were just lucky on the 4 properties we sold by owner. We were under contract in about a week on all of them.

Storage may be plausible under limited circumstances. Other than family heirlooms, storage can end up more of a headache and cost than the personal property is worth. Unless people still have roots after selling their home, storage would not be feasible. If you own a storage area, you have probably had renters that just quit paying rent and you had to auction the items off. In that event, you likely both lost money.

Some people do not feel comfortable filling in the blanks on a home sales contract, so they give the duty to an agent. Your wife is well aware, having been in the business for over 20 years, that all real estate agents are not created equal. Bad agents give bad results. I have personally taken agents and brokers before the state board. In the case of the broker, he was required to again take and pass the broker's course and state exam to keep his license.
Neither the broker nor the agents changed their practices. Still bad agents and bad results.

As for the storage business we keep a deposit that is larger the time period for lockout and sale. We have never had an auction since we are in a rural location and the locker is cleaned out in a couple days by a guy who has a little second hand store and sells on eBay too. Then it is rented out in a few days with our waiting list.
The above discussion of agents and brokers is not meant to offend you or your wife. There are a lot of good agencies and dedicated agents. The purpose is to give the OP choices. The real estate market is booming as is the RV market. But that can change in a heart beat

I hate to admit we are in California and lenders will not loan on furniture or any personal property in the real estate sale. Secondly most people aren’t comfortable with the 16 page contract on their own. Not to mention all the home inspections, dealing with appraisals, septic inspections, well tests, fire department, pest, roof, chimney, all of which my wife attends. There are only 1 or 2 lenders that will do mobile homes. The appraiser is the one who verifies the smoke detectors, Co2 detector, water heater earthquake strapping and soon to be the toilet inspection. My wife is the person who follows up to get the people to correct any of these discrepancies.
Not sure about other locations but I did see one post where the realtor listed the house but didn’t take a commission and that would be a gift for sure, considering all the realtor’s expenses to work for free. But it is actually the broker’s choice in agreement with the realtor.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by PenJoe

Never had a problem writing those contracts nor getting mortgages approved that include household items in the contract. The bank gets a copy of the sales contract. The mortgage appraisers were getting their figures based upon the real estate only. In the mobile home community we are in now, it is common practice. We brought our boat, vehicle, clothing and a few personal items. Everything else was in place.

In states I am aware of, a Realtor must work under a broker. As for sales by owner, the same contract the Realtor/Broker uses is available on line. I would bet the same is available in the state you wife is a realtor. Strangely, having been a Realtor, I found selling a home by owner was faster than selling through a real estate agency. Maybe we were just lucky on the 4 properties we sold by owner. We were under contract in about a week on all of them.

Storage may be plausible under limited circumstances. Other than family heirlooms, storage can end up more of a headache and cost than the personal property is worth. Unless people still have roots after selling their home, storage would not be feasible. If you own a storage area, you have probably had renters that just quit paying rent and you had to auction the items off. In that event, you likely both lost money.

Some people do not feel comfortable filling in the blanks on a home sales contract, so they give the duty to an agent. Your wife is well aware, having been in the business for over 20 years, that all real estate agents are not created equal. Bad agents give bad results. I have personally taken agents and brokers before the state board. In the case of the broker, he was required to again take and pass the broker's course and state exam to keep his license.
Neither the broker nor the agents changed their practices. Still bad agents and bad results.

The above discussion of agents and brokers is not meant to offend you or your wife. There are a lot of good agencies and dedicated agents. The purpose is to give the OP choices. The real estate market is booming as is the RV market. But that can change in a heart beat

I forgot to answer the storage part of your post. We keep deposit large enough to cover the sale time, we have never had an auction because of our rural location, we have a customer who has a second hand store and sells on eBay. He cleans them out in a couple days and they are rented again in a couple days from our waiting list.