Hi everyone! I haven't been working on crafts or this blog as much as I would like to be because I have been super busy getting my newest business up and running! Don't worry though, I will still be selling on Etsy and on 27seahorses.com. That is where the heart of my business started and will stay!

Basically, I have added on to it! I finished my schooling at Asheford Institute of Antiques and have taken the PACC (Professional Appraiser Code of Conduct) Certification test and am about to take the USPAP certification test. I have changed my business name to 27Seahorses Vantiques, Appraisals and Estate Sales. I am in the process of getting my commercial insurance and should be up and running next week! I am excited because it's what I love doing and I believe I am the only one in my area with the formal education and appraisal certifications, so hopefully with my experience it gives me a leg up! 

To give you an idea of how Estate Sales work and what I do, I am going to give you some really useful info. (And hopefully you can share it with others too!)

An estate sale is held when a family is no longer in the home. They have passed, or had to go into assisted living or with family. It is selling "their estate" which means everything that the rest of the family doesn't want. I will also do large downsizing or moving sales however, they will be called just that. 

I will not sell ivory, guns or taxidermy. 

I go to the home, review everything, set fees and go over the contract. Fees are 25-45% of gross sales, but I pay for all advertising, bookkeeping & provide staffing. I also pay for any special appraisals. I have insurance and am bonded. I also require the home have current homeowners insurance.

I sort, organize and price items. I do not sort, organize or move items that are not to be sold. I also do not clean houses, deal with trash or haul unsold items. I can help the family find someone that does do those things. I do make sure the home is as safe as possible marking steps and keeping the public out of unsafe areas.

I may agree to sell saleable unsold items on a consignment basis. 

So that's it! I will talk about appraisals another time. 

Kim