How To Choose Great Vendors When Downsizing — Part 1
How do you choose great vendors who are trustworthy and highly competent? Learn why it is a tricky question and how to go about it
Asking your friends who they love is always a great start. Sometimes getting those people to come over is a little tricky because the good ones are always busy. Pay attention to who is busy and who is not. Also, check them out online, and look at their Yelp reviews or their Angie’s List profiles. It’s important to know who has been using them and what they have to say.
Also, be aware that there is almost always one bad review for every company. Look at it this way, do you like everyone in the world? Well, chances are there’s probably some customers who didn’t like something a company did.
It could have been that the customer had unrealistic or poorly-communicated expectations, or that an honest mistake was made. You can always ask the company about a post that causes you concern and ask them for their perspective.
If you’re getting a recommendation from friends or family, ask the person doing the recommending why they chose that vendor, and if there was anything that they would change or cause them to hesitate to hire them again.Time to learn about different kinds of vendors
Downsizing/Relocation Manager
When was the last time you moved? Remember how it was? The reason relocation managers are around is because we make it easier to move. We know short-cuts and ways to save you time and money.
We help clients sort through their things in order to get them packed and moved quickly. We can usually empty a home after downsizing or a death in a few weeks, saving clients extended house payments, insurance, and taxes, while also recouping them some money from the sale of things they no longer want or need.
Estate Sale Professionals
Estate sales are a lot like a higher-end professionally-managed garage sale. You can walk into the house and look around, and you can often haggle with the person running the sale to get a better price. The estate seller typically wants to have a minimum gross amount of product. So, for example, if they are selling the entire contents of a home, they want there to be at least $6,000 worth of stuff to sell to make it worth their while. This is because they take a percentage of the sale. Most estate sellers take between 25 and 35% for most sales, and this has to cover the setup, the marketing, and the breakdown after the sale. For all the details on Estate Sellers, see the article “The Food Chain Of Stuff — Where Does All Your Things Go.”
Auction Houses and Services
Auctions are just what they say: there is often an Auctioneer calling bids, and things are put into groups or “lots.” It allows the seller to be able to group items, so they are in sets—think set of china or a group of collectibles. If things have a higher value, they are often split out on their own for individual auction. Antique dealers and online resellers may offer auction services.
Property
Auctioneers (think country farm auction) prefer there to be a piece of property as part of the auction so they can sell the contents and the actual home, plus the land itself. Many auctioneers are also licensed Real Estate Agents.If there is not a piece of property attached, property auctioneers typically prefer there to be some big-ticket items like high-end art, tractors, or other vehicles that will sell for several thousand dollars. Auctioneers also take a percentage of the sale, usually somewhere between 30% and 40%.
Landscapers
Landscaping is an important step to enhancing the curb appeal of your home and make it more attractive: put down fresh mulch, pull the weeds, and put some flowers out front.Imagine going to check a house where the grass is a foot high, and the weeds grow all over the garden. No one wants to buy such a house because chances are the inside has been neglected as well. Spending a few hundred dollars on cleaning up the outside, pruning trees, and trimming bushes may make all the difference in the world to get people actually to walk inside your home.Of course, this also means cleaning up your kids’ toys, getting rid of that old woodpile that has been sitting there for years, and cleaning up any debris that is around the edges of your yard. It is an important part to remember because most people want their new home (your old home) to be move-in ready, and they don’t want piles of trash sitting around in the yard.Next week we will talk about other great vendors you will need when downsizing.If you need help with your downsizing process, contact us.
Or give us a call Toll-free 1-888-742-3889 or 734-994-1000. Until next time – Keep It Simple!
Downsizing the Silver Tsunami - The Betty Brigade - Sharon McRill
Article based on my most recent book, "Downsizing the Silver Tsunami." This book is a practical resource for anyone who is facing the task of downsizing—moving from a larger family home to a smaller house, condo, or multi-family living situation. Learn more.
