We all have things in our homes that we would be happy to part with, at least for a price! When you are ready to send your belongings off to a new home, there is one question you’ll have to ask. That question is: What type of sale should you hold to sell your stuff? What exactly is the difference between a yard sale, a garage sale, and an estate sale?
If you are wondering what the answer is, read on to learn more!
Yard or garage sale?
This one is easy. There really isn’t a difference between a garage and a yard sale. You may even hear this type of sale called a rummage or tag sale. All of these types of sales involve homeowners (or renters) who have items in their dwellings they no longer want. Some people will hold the sale in their garage while others will set things up in their yard. Some sellers may even let people in the house if they have a lot of items to offer. It will depend on the homeowner and what they are hoping to get rid of.
Yard or estate sale?
The big difference between a yard and an estate sale is the person selling the items. When you see a yard or garage sale sign up in your neighborhood, this means the homeowner is the one selling off their belongings. With an estate sale, a company or person will be hired to handle the sale instead. One reason you may hire a person is if you have more valuable items to sell. Experts suggest asking a professional to take a look at your belongings before you try to sell them to determine their worth. You may have some valuable, expensive treasures on hand that you don’t even know about. For example, the vase you inherited from your late aunt Martha may be worth thousands of dollars. Since you may not know how to spot something valuable versus something that is not, hiring a professional is a good idea.
Estate sales are also often held when someone passes away and the family wants to sell off the house and what is in it. Many families first take some items from the home for themselves before hiring a professional to handle the rest. When everything is sold and finalized, the money is often split up between the heirs. In some cases, an auctioneer is brought in to sell off the items to a crowd.
There is also a large difference in how a garage sale is advertised versus an estate sale. You’ve likely seen flyers stapled to telephone poles in the neighborhood advertising a sale, or you may have run across a post in your local Facebook community group concerning one. That is because yard and garage sales are typically advertised locally. However, an estate sale will be advertised to a wider audience, especially online. They often attract collectors who are willing to make a longer trip to score some great deals.
