What the 35% covers
Research and appraisal-aware pricing of the full contents. Tagging every item. Staging the home so buyers can walk it room by room. Marketing the sale to a regional buyer list rather than a yard sign. Staffing and supervising the sale for its full 3-day run, with controlled access and staffed checkout. Then clearing what did not sell — routed to donation or recycling, documented — and handing the property back emptied and ready to list.
There is no separate setup fee, no marketing fee, no staffing charge, no dumpster line item, and no per-hour add-on invoiced afterward. If a cost is part of running your sale, it is inside the 35%.
Why we publish the number instead of quoting it later
Because the alternative is what families keep describing to us. A commission that only appears after the walkthrough, when the house is already committed and the executor has no leverage left, is not a quote — it is a negotiation the family loses. The rate is the same before you call as after, and it does not move because the contents turned out to be better than expected.
The minimum threshold guarantee
Small estates are where percentage-only pricing quietly fails: a sale that grosses very little still costs a crew a full weekend, and someone absorbs that. A minimum threshold guarantee, typically $2,000, is how we absorb it instead of leaving the family behind where they started. If the walkthrough shows a sale is the wrong tool for the property, we say so and lay out the alternative rather than signing you to one.
When a sale is not the right answer
A commission model only makes sense when there is something worth commissioning. If the contents are ordinary household goods, if the timeline is measured in days, or if the family is out of state and cannot support a weekend of foot traffic, a single cash buyout is usually the better instrument — and that comparison is laid out in full on the estate sale versus cash buyout page.
Pricing questions
What commission do you charge, and what does it cover?
35% of gross sales. That single number covers the appraisal-aware research, pricing and tagging, staging the home, marketing to a regional buyer list, staffing and supervising the sale, and the post-sale clearance. There is no separate setup fee, marketing fee, or staffing charge added afterward.
Do I have to pay anything before the sale?
No. $0 out-of-pocket. Every cost of running the sale is absorbed and settled out of the proceeds, so an estate with no cash on hand can still be liquidated properly.
Which parts of San Diego County do you cover?
The coastal communities and the inland county alike: La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Coronado, Point Loma, and the San Diego city neighborhoods. If you are unsure whether your address is in range, ask -- the walkthrough is how we answer that, and it costs nothing.
The heirs live out of state. Do we have to be there?
No. A large share of the estates we run in this county are directed by an heir who is not in California. We handle the walkthrough, the photographs, the pricing decisions, and the sale, and you approve by phone and email. You receive the same itemized reconciliation within 14 days either way.
The home is in a gated community or a condo with a strict HOA. Is that a problem?
It is normal here, not an obstacle. Gate access, guest parking limits, posted sale hours, elevator and loading-dock reservations, and move-out windows are scheduled before the sale opens. Tell us the association at the walkthrough and the plan is built around it.
How long does the whole process take?
Typically 7 to 14 days from the walkthrough to an empty house, with the sale itself running as a 3-day weekend event. If a listing date or a court deadline is driving the schedule, say so at the walkthrough and we build backward from it.
What happens to the things that do not sell?
They still leave. Unsold contents are routed to donation or recycling and documented, and the property is cleared and ready to list. Clearance is part of the 35%, not a separate haul-away invoice at the end.
How do I know the contents were priced honestly?
You get an itemized accounting reconciliation within 14 days of the sale showing what sold and for what. Research is appraisal-aware rather than guesswork, and because our fee is a percentage of the gross, underpricing your contents costs us exactly what it costs you.
Get the number for your specific estate
Free on-site walkthrough and valuation anywhere in San Diego. 35% commission, $0 out-of-pocket, in writing before anything moves.
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