Are you sure you want to exit? Your progress will be lost.
Who are you caring for?
Which best describes their mobility?
How well are they maintaining their hygiene?
How are they managing their medications?
Does their living environment pose any safety concerns?
Fall risks, spoiled food, or other threats to wellbeing
Are they experiencing any memory loss?
Which best describes your loved one's social life?
Acknowledgment of Disclosures and Authorization
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
✔
I acknowledge and authorize
✔
I consent to the collection of my consumer health data.*
✔
I consent to the sharing of my consumer health data with qualified home care agencies.*
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
Mostly Independent
Your loved one may not require home care or assisted living services at this time. However, continue to monitor their condition for changes and consider occasional in-home care services for help as needed.
Remember, this assessment is not a substitute for professional advice.
Share a few details and we will match you to trusted home care in your area:
We are selling my aunt's home to pay for her nursing care. Should we hire an estate sale planner to sell some of her collectibles? Is it worth it? And can they do quickly?
I agree that you will be shocked at how many collectibles have no value to the younger generations, and the older people can't afford to buy them even second-hand.
Do a little research to confirm if the collectibles have any demand at all. Even certain types of furniture, even in pristine condition, aren't as in demand. Mid-century furniture is very desirable right now. Many antiques are losing value due to lack of demand.
Estate sale companies will make it faster and take away the stress, but it will cost to do so.
I recently had to take care of my 105-yr old Aunt's doll collection in FL. These were not cheesy Cabbage Patch or American Girl dolls: they were very old, porcelain, some in original clothing and some in clothes she hand-sewed, in excellent condition. I could not even give them away for free. I even contacted doll collecting clubs. There are too many seniors downsizing or passing and not enough younger people who are interested in any of that stuff. Even charitable thrift stores were extremely picky about what they accepted (hint: very little!)
Just have tempered expectations. Do not pay to store any of it.
Go to Estatesales.net and look up some reputable estate sale companies in your area and give them a call. There are PLENTY of collectibles that have value and people wait in line to acquire, trust me on that. Idk what your aunt has, but the estate sale company does and they can tell you what the approximate value of the lot is. They take about 40 to 50% of the intake in commission, depending on how much work they have to put into sorting, trash removal, setting up etc. Selling on eBay piece by piece is no picnic, and takes forever, plus there is about a 20% commission payable to eBay directly for each sale, plus you have to pack up and ship.
There are also online estate sale companies who will offer to buy the lot of your aunts stuff from you for a price up front.
There are also estate sale companies who will photograph her stuff and sell it on an online auction so nobody traipses thru her home.
We are currently in the middle of moving to a CCRC. We have found that all of our collectible items are collectible, but not valuable. Resale on them is 0 or less. We can sell them on places like eBay, but that takes time we don't have. Donate them to places that can use them. Take the tax donation for your aunt. Then, have an estate sale, if you can find someone to handle it. We couldn't. We have a definite time frame, and all of the estate sales firms in our area were booked solid until late October. We are hiring someone to haul what remains after donating to the dump. Sorry to be so negative about estate sales and collectible items, but reality is reality.
What sort of collectibles. Today, with few people collecting anything, most "collectibles" have no value at all to speak of. This is a personal decision. If you have a friend who does Ebay or Etsy or does antiquing and collecting you can get good advice there. Meanwhile, the internet is your friend. Take an android phone, take a picture via googlelens, and whatever you are aiming at is going to show up with where posted and values on item.
Honestly - it really depends on her home, how much is in it and needs to be organized and how much time you or someone else has to oversee the process from start to finish.
With my FIL's home - there was very little that needed to be sold so we handled it ourselves.
For my grandmother's home - she was a very neat hoarder - and had quite a bit of stuff that will need to be appraised, catalogued and organized. So my mom is going through the personal stuff and "trash" and then will hire an estate sales planner to manage the rest. We suspect much will be donated. But there is some stuff that might need to be donated to museums vs charity organizations, so we want to make sure we look at a great deal of the things more closely.
How quickly it can be done depends on the availability of the estate sales planner AND how much stuff needs to be reviewed and organized.
Husband and I hired an estate sale company when his mom died unexpectedly. We had a bunch of other stuff going on and no time to do it ourselves. That, and we were still kind of in shock from her death.
She did not have anything of huge value or any collectibles. Even so, it was worth doing. It’s not so much about selling collectibles as it is saving time and stress.
If you decide to put items on eBay, keep in mind that takes time and effort too. You have to take the time to photograph and post all the items. Then it takes time to pack and ship. And some things will not sell quickly or at all. Which means not getting the money right away or ever.
I recommend an estate sale. The reputable, knowledgeable estate sale owner will have a handle on values in your area. Plus they do all the unpacking and displaying. I would look for an estate sale owner who's name is on their business, ie Mary Jones estate sales. They will want to preserve their good reputation. The good ones acquire a following.
We decided to do an estate sale for my Mom’s stuff. Nothing she had was very valuable. We were able to hire a reputable estate sale company with less than a month’s notice. They unpacked and displayed everything, conducted the sale, emptied the remaining items from the house and donated them to charity (at our request). It was absolutely no work for me and saved me tons of time. We made several thousand dollars in profit after paying the estate sale company. The things that sold easily included furniture, kitchen ware, appliances, throw pillows, and decorative small items. Collectibles did not sell and I chose to donate them to a church run thrift store since I had no need for them and my children weren’t interested in them (sets of fine china and Lladro figurines). Everything was completed and the house ready to go on the market in 4 weeks. Good luck and I hope you find a solution that works for you and your Aunt’s belongings.
My mom had some collectibles. The value 20 years later was the same as value when bought. If you want an estimate on value, check out replacements.com. located in NC. If you choose to consign, you pay to ship to them and the payment back to you will be a fraction of the value. This website will let you know how valuable her stuff is. But supplies might sit for a long time. I will tell you that I could find every item of my mom's stuff and I actually replaced some broken pieces of my crystal to make the set complete.
I do not have any negative to say about estate sellers.
Are the items actually valuable to others? An Estate Sale company will charge you a % of what is taken in at the sale. It is almost not worth donating items for a "tax write off" so you would get the most from either private sale or if the items are valuable you might want to consider an auction but there again you will be paying a % to the auction house. Most "collectables" are not worth anything unless it is in fact a valuable piece. (I have a collection of cookie jars that I can tell you are not worth what I paid for them....and I got each one at a resale shop or as a gift. So I hope no one expects to cash in on them when I am dead!)
You can have an Estate Sale company come in and evaluate the items and that might give you an idea what way to go with this.
By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington.
Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services.
APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid.
We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour.
APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment.
You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints.
Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or ConsumerFeedback@aplaceformom.com to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights.
APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.
I agree that:
A.
I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information").
B.
APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink.
C.
APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site.
D.
If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records.
E.
This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year.
F.
You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
Do a little research to confirm if the collectibles have any demand at all. Even certain types of furniture, even in pristine condition, aren't as in demand. Mid-century furniture is very desirable right now. Many antiques are losing value due to lack of demand.
Estate sale companies will make it faster and take away the stress, but it will cost to do so.
I recently had to take care of my 105-yr old Aunt's doll collection in FL. These were not cheesy Cabbage Patch or American Girl dolls: they were very old, porcelain, some in original clothing and some in clothes she hand-sewed, in excellent condition. I could not even give them away for free. I even contacted doll collecting clubs. There are too many seniors downsizing or passing and not enough younger people who are interested in any of that stuff. Even charitable thrift stores were extremely picky about what they accepted (hint: very little!)
Just have tempered expectations. Do not pay to store any of it.
There are also online estate sale companies who will offer to buy the lot of your aunts stuff from you for a price up front.
There are also estate sale companies who will photograph her stuff and sell it on an online auction so nobody traipses thru her home.
Good luck!
This is a personal decision. If you have a friend who does Ebay or Etsy or does antiquing and collecting you can get good advice there. Meanwhile, the internet is your friend. Take an android phone, take a picture via googlelens, and whatever you are aiming at is going to show up with where posted and values on item.
Good luck.
With my FIL's home - there was very little that needed to be sold so we handled it ourselves.
For my grandmother's home - she was a very neat hoarder - and had quite a bit of stuff that will need to be appraised, catalogued and organized. So my mom is going through the personal stuff and "trash" and then will hire an estate sales planner to manage the rest. We suspect much will be donated. But there is some stuff that might need to be donated to museums vs charity organizations, so we want to make sure we look at a great deal of the things more closely.
How quickly it can be done depends on the availability of the estate sales planner AND how much stuff needs to be reviewed and organized.
She did not have anything of huge value or any collectibles. Even so, it was worth doing. It’s not so much about selling collectibles as it is saving time and stress.
If you decide to put items on eBay, keep in mind that takes time and effort too. You have to take the time to photograph and post all the items. Then it takes time to pack and ship. And some things will not sell quickly or at all. Which means not getting the money right away or ever.
This website will let you know how valuable her stuff is. But supplies might sit for a long time.
I will tell you that I could find every item of my mom's stuff and I actually replaced some broken pieces of my crystal to make the set complete.
I do not have any negative to say about estate sellers.
An Estate Sale company will charge you a % of what is taken in at the sale. It is almost not worth donating items for a "tax write off" so you would get the most from either private sale or if the items are valuable you might want to consider an auction but there again you will be paying a % to the auction house.
Most "collectables" are not worth anything unless it is in fact a valuable piece. (I have a collection of cookie jars that I can tell you are not worth what I paid for them....and I got each one at a resale shop or as a gift. So I hope no one expects to cash in on them when I am dead!)
You can have an Estate Sale company come in and evaluate the items and that might give you an idea what way to go with this.
See All Answers