Whether you're handling a family estate or a downsizing relative, an in-person sale compresses weeks of dispersal into a single weekend. Here's the current-discipline version of the playbook.
Pre-work (1-2 weeks out)
- Clear the house of anything NOT for sale — personal papers, family photos, medications, firearms (check your state's rules on firearms resale).
- Price as you go or pre-print tags. Use comps on eBay sold-tab for any high-value item.
- Decide on payment methods — cash plus Square/Venmo covers almost everyone.
Marketing
Post on EstateSales.net, EstateSales.org, local Facebook groups, and Nextdoor with real photos, not stock images. Take ten photos that show what you have, not one photo of each room.
The line problem and how to skip it
One line incident (a shouting match at your aunt's mailbox) is enough to convert most people to a digital line tool. Set up a registration page on a platform like EstateEntry or Pickerty, print the QR code for a yard sign, and watch shoppers self-register before the weekend. Set a max-inside number that matches your comfortable headcount, then advance as people leave.
Sale-day staffing
- Door: check-in and entry control (this is where the digital line shines).
- Registers: 2+ people, three-plus with Square.
- Roaming: answering questions, mark-sold duty.
The sell-down
- Saturday PM: 15% off.
- Sunday AM: 30% off.
- Sunday PM: 50% + "fill a bag for $10" mode.
Leftovers go charity, family, or Monday trash haul. Consider donating & getting a receipt for any remaining items as a family tax deduction strategy.