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At estate sales, what’s yours will soon be mine
Buying secondhand is easy on the planet. Experts offer tips on getting the best deals.
This is the second in a two-part series on estate sales. Last week, we looked behind the scenes.
Before entering her first estate sale, Maggie Hunt sat in her parked car outside the house for more than half an hour.
“I didn’t know how to enter someone’s home that I didn’t know, to sort of paw through it,” Hunt said. “I didn’t know how to get ready for that experience.”
The owner had painted everything pink, down to the window frames, and collected frog-themed ephemera. Hunt went straight to the closet, sat on the floor, and began to sort through beautiful vintage gowns. That’s when it clicked.
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“It’s interesting to see what’s inside people’s drawers,” she said. Now, she runs her own estate sale company.
Estate sales help those in transition clear a house and those looking to fill one do so at cut-rate prices. But at their heart, the sales take place in a home, and the contents, which represent a life, can make for strange encounters, at least until the curiosity kicks in.
These sales break a taboo: They are an invitation through a stranger’s door to rifle through their closets. And experienced shoppers line up early. The rush can be intimidating.
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Avid attendees say it’s worth it.
“I like really interesting pieces that I could never afford at retail,” said Angela Lehmann of Wellesley, an estate sale shopper for eight years. “If it has a scratch on it someplace, I call it character.”
Every treasure hunt begins with a map.
EstateSales.net is a widely used portal for locating sales. Most are posted a week or two in advance, and photo galleries offer previews. Sales usually take place on weekends, but occasional weekday sales can be a great way to avoid a crowd.
For Lehmann, the benefits are as stacked as Grandma’s basement. You can visualize furniture staged in an actual home. There are no supply chain delays — it’s coming home immediately. It’s no crime if someone spills on it, and when Lehmann craves a refresh, it’s easy to resell and replace. Above all, the mystique of the sale beckons.
Jack Benny’s bed, Susan Sarandon’s daughter’s coffee table, and a snazzy couch that belonged to a Red Sox player all have moved into her condo by way of these sales. Lehmann attended Martha Stewart’s ticketed estate sale but found it disappointing. She did, at least, meet Stewart’s dogs.
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A little foresight can make shopping easier. Lynda Watson, proprietor of Streamline Antiques and a sale organizer, said it helps to bring packing materials and your own big bag. Lehman stocks her car with bungee cords, a rolling cart, and moving blankets. Hunt? A measuring tape. While many vendors offer credit card payments, bringing cash sometimes invites discounts.
And, organizers said, it can help to think beyond furniture and tchotchkes. “Someone else already went to Joanne’s and bought way too much fabric and never used it,” Hunt said.
Jack Benny’s bed, Susan Sarandon’s daughter’s coffee table, and a snazzy couch that belonged to a Red Sox player all have moved into her condo.
Watson finds that “It’s easy to get hooked.” She dispelled preconceptions that estate sales are only for secondhand dealers; anyone can attend. And unlike real estate open houses, which encourage serious buyers, it’s OK not to purchase anything. “You can just go check out the house,” she said.
But go early.
“Estate sales are first come, first serve,” said Chris Jordan of Best Rate Estate Sales. “You don’t want to show up at 11 o’clock, because all the good stuff will be gone by then.”
“At first, it’s very, very chaotic,” said Ruthanne Zanti of Curious Cat Estate Sales. “Even if I only let 15 people in.” If you see something you want at her sales, Zanti said, tell a staff attendant, and they will mark the item as “sold.” Otherwise, that extra-thinking lap may cost you the find.
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For late risers or those who want to avoid the rush, there are still advantages. Some organizers offer discounts in the sale’s later days — often 50 percent off.
“If it looks like a good sale, I will go the first day,” Lehmann said. “If you’re willing to go later in the day, they’re going to negotiate.”
Shoppers say they form favorites among organizers and keep a list of upcoming sales. Lehmann uses photo catalogs to form her game plan.
Suzanne McCormack of Brockton heads to the kitchen first — for vintage Pyrex — and to the basement — for tucked-away tools and midcentury curiosities.
“You’ve got to surround yourself with stuff that gives you joy,” McCormack said. “A lot of stuff gives me joy!”
A little know-how can help. Are you prepared to repair an object properly if needed? That also will help you negotiate the price, she said.
With experience comes wisdom.
McCormack recalled going toe-to-toe with shoppers over Waterford crystal glasses. While she managed to nab a few, no rivalry is worth stressing about, she said. “You can always get the same exact thing at another sale.”
Hunt, who began offering online sales during the pandemic, said: “There are a lot of shoppers out there who don’t want anything to do with walking into someone else’s house. Because it is a bit off-putting. … Did they die in the house?”
But keeping these items out of landfills is a blessing, she said.
To create a welcoming environment, Hunt and her team play the soothing sounds of easy-listening station WJIB.
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“You might immediately feel like you’re trespassing,” she said. “But once you get into the understanding, you realize it’s a celebration. Whether they [have] passed or not, this is their stuff. This is their life. And this is a celebration of moving it along.”
Lindsay Crudele can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Address on Twitter @globehomes.
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