Hold an Estate Sale to Downsize and Make Money from Your Old Crap

Contrary to popular belief, estate sales can take place when the person selling is alive and well. When done right, you can get a tidy sum for the stuff you've been meaning to get rid of but haven't gotten around to listing on Craigslist, or easily prep to downsize to a smaller apartment or home with little hassle.

Make no mistake, estate sales are for people who have more money than time to sell their stuff. Estate sale companies will take a cut of all of the sales, which can definitely add up. They will, however, come to your home, help you draft up a complete catalog of what you're selling and what's staying, and handle the arrangements of getting people to come to the auction, actually auctioning off the items for sale, collecting money, and handling the paperwork resulting from the sales. When they're all finished, your old crap is all gone and you have money in your pocket.

It's a drastic measure to be sure, but if you've been meaning to list your crap on Craigslist for years or a more sensible approach to decluttering just hasn't worked for you, it may be a good option. Hit the link below for some helpful tips from the commenters at Apartment Therapy on finding the right people to help with a sale.

How Do I Sell the Contents of My House? | Apartment Therapy

Photo by Elliott Brown.