Answers for Nashville families planning an estate sale: preparation, fees, timing, and what happens afterward.
An estate sale is a managed sale of personal belongings — typically held inside a home or at an offsite venue. Families hold estate sales when they need to liquidate household contents due to downsizing, relocation, retirement, divorce, or the passing of a loved one. Unlike a garage sale, an estate sale covers the entire home and is run by a professional company that handles pricing, marketing, and day-of management.
An estate sale makes sense when you have a large volume of household items to sell — furniture, décor, kitchen items, collectibles, tools, clothing, and more. It’s especially effective when a full home needs to be cleared out on a deadline, such as preparing a property for sale or settling an estate. If you’re unsure, we offer a free consultation where we’ll walk through your situation and help you decide the best path forward.
We primarily serve Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, plus Hendersonville-area estates in Sumner County. Our core service area includes Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Bellevue, Belle Meade, Green Hills, Nolensville, and Hendersonville. If you’re outside these areas, contact us — we may still be able to help.
Call us at (615) 899-4222, email info@estategreats.net, or fill out the contact form on our website. We’ll schedule a free consultation to walk through your home (or review photos), discuss your timeline, and outline the best approach. There’s no obligation.
Yes — completely free with no obligation. We’ll visit your home or review photos, assess the contents, discuss your timeline and goals, and give you an honest recommendation. If an estate sale isn’t the best option for your situation, we’ll tell you.
Our large team can host multiple estate sales per week. Depending on the size of your estate and scheduling availability, we can complete setup, the sale, and the agreed cleanout within one week. Larger estates or more involved preparation may take longer. The sale itself runs two to four days, Friday to Sunday, sometimes starting with a Thursday evening preview. Share your deadline at the consultation so we can confirm the scope and a realistic schedule before work begins.
Our team sorts, organizes, and prices every item in the home. We research high-value and collectible items individually. Then we stage the entire property in a clean, retail-style layout designed to encourage buyer interest — organized displays, clear pricing, and a welcoming shopping atmosphere. We take as many photos as possible and add descriptions to our EstateSales.NET listing so shoppers are more likely to find the items that interest them.
We combine current market research with years of experience selling directly to estate sale customers in Nashville. Condition, comparable completed sales, local demand, and what our buyers have actually paid all inform pricing. Antiques, fine furniture, art, jewelry, and collectibles receive individual research as needed. Our goal is the highest realistic opening price with a strong chance of selling on the first day, before scheduled discounts begin. Results vary by item. We discuss pricing preferences and the discount plan before the sale.
No — we ask that you not be present. Our team handles everything on-site, from buyer interactions to transactions to security. Being absent during the sale also tends to result in better outcomes, since buyers shop more freely when the homeowner isn’t present.
Sale days feel more like a boutique shopping event than a liquidation. We set up signage, play music, and create a welcoming retail atmosphere. Our team manages the floor, assists buyers, answers questions, and handles all transactions via iPad point-of-sale. We accept cash, credit, and debit cards. Buyers receive itemized receipts, and we provide carry-out assistance for larger items.
We promote every sale through multiple channels — our website, email list of active buyers, social media, EstateSales.net, EstateSales.org, garage sale listings, Facebook Marketplace, and street signs. Our goal is to generate strong foot traffic from day one. All advertising costs are included in our commission.
You have access to an Estate Greats client dashboard that includes live sales data. You can check how your sale is going while it happens, from wherever you are. Our team is available to answer questions, and after the sale you receive a detailed itemized report showing what sold and for how much.
We research high-value and collectible items individually when pricing your estate. If you have appraisals, receipts, maker information, or a family history for a piece, share them at the walkthrough. For exceptionally rare or valuable items, we can recommend specialist appraisal services. Tell us which pieces you want to discuss before pricing decisions are made.
Identify what the family is keeping before we begin setup, and agree on a collection date with our team. Include gifts to relatives, personal records, and anything still under discussion. Set unresolved items aside so they are not mistaken for sale inventory.
If your plans change after photography or advertising, contact us before removing an item so we can discuss the effect on the sale and its listing.
Discuss any minimum price or no-discount instruction before the sale and have it recorded in your agreement. A preferred asking price and a firm minimum are different, so make that distinction clear with our team. Agree on who can approve a change and how that person can be reached during sale hours.
A firm minimum may mean an item does not sell. Include that possibility in your plan for unsold belongings.
You do not need to organize the entire house before calling us. Ask before discarding, donating, or deep cleaning the sale contents. Before setup, work through these practical details with our team:
- Confirm working electricity and water, and discuss heating or cooling needs.
- Arrange keys, gate access, alarm instructions, parking, and a reliable contact.
- Tell us about HOA rules, building restrictions, and any limits on sale hours or visitor access.
- Identify family keepsakes and confirm their collection date, along with move-out and property deadlines.
- Point out belongings in attics, garages, sheds, or storage, including anything difficult to reach.
Confirm the scope before moving stored contents: excessive unboxing or attic retrieval may involve an additional fee.
Our setup includes sorting, pricing, staging, and photographing the sale contents. Before opening, make sure our team has your final keep-or-sell decisions, any agreed pricing restrictions, property access instructions, and the best way to reach the decision-maker.
Raise any concerns about an item, room, or access restriction before shoppers arrive. Agree on the plan for unsold items too, so the next step is clear when the sale ends.
A piece can have deep personal meaning without having the same value to a buyer. Estate sale pricing reflects condition, current demand, and comparable sales. The original purchase price, an online asking price, or a replacement-value appraisal may not reflect what shoppers will pay for a used item today.
Your take-home proceeds also differ from gross sales: the agreed commission and any separately approved costs affect the final amount. Discuss expectations and important pieces at the consultation, and use your itemized report to see what actually sold and for how much.
Our fee is a percentage of gross sales — there are no upfront costs to you. The commission rate is discussed and agreed upon before we start. This fee covers everything: setup, pricing, advertising, conducting the sale, and post-sale reporting. You only pay when items sell.
No. Estate Greats does not charge upfront fees. Our compensation comes from the agreed-upon commission on gross sales. All advertising costs are included.
Your settlement check is mailed within five business days after the sale ends. You receive a detailed itemized sales report. The report shows exactly what sold and for how much, giving you complete transparency.
Pretty much anything in a home can sell at an estate sale. High-demand categories include furniture, antiques, fine art, jewelry, collectibles, power tools, kitchen appliances, china, crystal, rugs, outdoor equipment, vinyl records, vintage clothing, and electronics. Even everyday household items like kitchenware, linens, and books find buyers at estate sales.
Yes. Our team has deep expertise in pricing fine furniture, antiques, art, jewelry, coins, and collectibles. We research each high-value piece individually to ensure accurate pricing and maximum return. For exceptionally rare or valuable items, we can recommend specialist appraisals.
Absolutely. Before we begin, we’ll go through the home with you (or a designated representative) and identify anything you’d like to keep, pass on to family, or exclude from the sale. We can also flag non-negotiable items that should not be discounted.
Yes. Our goal is to sell as many items as possible at fair prices. We consider all reasonable offers and may offer discounts on the final day to ensure a thorough sell-through. If there are specific items you don’t want discounted, we’ll note those in advance. We’ll never give your items away — but we do work to find the right balance between maximizing return and clearing the estate.
We accept cash, all major credit cards, and Venmo. We use iPad-based point-of-sale systems for fast, professional checkout. Every buyer receives an itemized receipt for their purchase.
You have several options. We can coordinate donation to local charities, arrange for clean-out and disposal, or return items to you. We’ll discuss your preferences before the sale so there’s a clear plan in place.
Yes. After the sale, we can handle full clean-out of the property — removing remaining items, coordinating donations, and leaving the home in clean, move-ready condition. This is especially helpful when you’re preparing a property for listing or need to meet a move-out deadline.
We offer offsite estate sales at our 2,500 sq ft estate sale event space in Berry Hill (644 W Iris Dr, Nashville, TN 37204), which is an event space rather than a retail store. Movers transport the agreed sale contents to our venue, where our team stages and runs the sale. We confirm the moving arrangements and any costs with you before scheduling. This is ideal for clients in gated communities, those with HOA restrictions, occupied properties, tight real estate timelines, or anyone who simply doesn’t want the public in their home.
We begin with a free consultation to assess your items. Movers transport the agreed contents to our event space after we confirm the moving arrangements and any costs with you. Our team then stages and prices the collection. We host a multi-day public sale event — typically Friday evening through Sunday. Your settlement check is mailed within five business days after the sale ends. You receive a full itemized sales report. Unsold items can be re-consigned, donated, or returned.
Yes. Estate Greats is fully bonded and insured. This protects you and your property throughout the entire process — from setup through sale day to clean-out.
We run estate sales that feel like retail shopping events, not liquidations. Our team stages every home with care, plays music during the sale, uses iPad point-of-sale for fast digital checkout, provides itemized receipts to every buyer, and offers carry-out assistance. You also have a client dashboard with live sales data to follow your sale while it happens. We bring a fresh, professional approach — and we back it up with detailed post-sale reporting and prompt payment. We also offer offsite sales at our own event space for clients who can’t or don’t want to host at home.
Yes. We regularly work with estate attorneys, executors, trustees, and family representatives across Nashville and Middle Tennessee. We understand the legal and emotional complexities of settling an estate, and we provide the documentation and transparency these situations require.
Still Have Questions?
Your consultation is free and comes with no obligation. We’ll walk through your options and help you decide the best path forward.
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