Most estate sale companies charge a commission on gross sales rather than an upfront fee. Industry rates run 30 to 50 percent, and Nashville rates sit near the middle of that range. Estate Greats charges 40 percent of gross, with no consultation fee, no listing fee, and no setup charge. A full clean-out to empty is quoted separately.
That percentage is the number everyone asks about first, and on its own it decides very little. A company quoting 32 percent can cost you more than one quoting 40, depending entirely on what sits underneath the rate. Below is what a commission normally covers, what usually gets billed separately, and how the arithmetic works on an actual household.
What a Commission Is Calculated On
The commission applies to gross sales, meaning the total the sale takes in before anything is deducted. If a sale grosses $22,000 at 40 percent, the company keeps $8,800 and the family receives $13,200.
There is no invoice to pay and no deposit to put down. The company is paid out of the sale itself, which is why a reputable estate sale company will not ask you for money before the sale happens. A company that wants a check at the consultation is worth a pause.
Gross means every transaction, not only the furniture. Kitchen goods, tools, linens, garage contents, and the fifty-cent items all count toward the total. On a typical Middle Tennessee household, the small stuff carries a real share of the gross, which is one reason a picked-over house underperforms.
Why the 30 to 50 Percent Range Is So Wide
Estate sales are not a uniform product, so the rate is pricing three things at once: how much work the estate requires, how much it is likely to bring, and how much of the job the company is actually taking on.
Rates move up when an estate is small, when the home is unusually full, when items need research and specialist pricing, or when the sale requires extra staff. Rates move down when an estate is large and clean, when the contents are high-value and fast-moving, or when the company bills several parts of the job as separate charges.
That last one matters most. A low headline rate sometimes means exactly that. Just as often it is a normal rate with the advertising, staffing, and haul-away pulled out and listed underneath. The percentage alone will not tell you which.
What the Commission Usually Includes
At Estate Greats, the 40 percent covers the whole job:
- Setup, sorting, and staging the home for a retail-style sale
- Research and pricing, including outside comparables on items that warrant it
- Photography and listing the sale
- Advertising across estate sale platforms, email, and social channels
- A fully staffed sale with a minimum of two team members on site
- Checkout, card processing, and cash handling through Square
- Settlement with an itemized report showing what sold and for how much
You can read our answers on fees, insurance, presale policy, and settlement on our 17 questions to ask before you hire an estate sale company page.
What Gets Billed Separately
Even at an all-in rate, one category normally sits outside the commission: emptying the house completely after the sale.
Selling the contents and clearing the property are two different jobs. Most companies handle the first inside the commission and quote the second on its own, because the cost depends on how much is left, what a donation partner will accept, and how the remaining volume has to move out. We quote clean-out to empty separately, and it proceeds only with your written approval.
Ask every company you interview about each of these by name:
- Advertising and photography
- Labor or staffing charges
- Dumpster rental and haul-away
- Credit card processing
- Moving heavy or oversized items
- Cleaning after the sale
- Any minimum sale value or minimum commission
Get the list in writing. "Are there fees besides the commission" is the question companies answer most differently, and the gap shows up on the settlement statement rather than in the conversation.
Estate Sale Commission Math at Three Sale Sizes
Here is the arithmetic at a 40 percent rate. These are illustrations rather than quotes. What a particular household brings depends on the contents, the market, and the season.
A $10,000 sale. Commission is $4,000 and the family receives $6,000. On a smaller estate the percentage feels heavier, because the fixed work of setup, research, and staffing does not shrink proportionally with the contents.
A $25,000 sale. Commission is $10,000 and the family receives $15,000. This is a common range for a full Middle Tennessee household with furniture, kitchen, garage, and decor in normal condition.
A $60,000 sale. Commission is $24,000 and the family receives $36,000. Estates in this range usually include a category that carries real weight: mid-century furniture, sterling, estate jewelry, tools, art, or a collection with its own market.
Running the sale yourself means keeping 100 percent of a number that is almost always lower, while absorbing costs the commission version hides: your time, advertising, signage, staffing, card processing, and removal of whatever did not sell. We ran that comparison in detail in are estate sale companies worth the commission.
Why a Lower Rate Can Cost More
Two companies quote the same $25,000 estate. One says 30 percent, one says 40.
The 30 percent company adds $500 for advertising and photography, bills staffing at $400, and charges $1,800 for haul-away at the end. That is $7,500 in commission plus $2,700 in fees, so $10,200 total, and the family nets $14,800 with the house cleared.
The 40 percent company includes advertising, photography, and staffing. Commission is $10,000 and the family nets $15,000, with the house still full. Add a comparable clean-out at $1,500 and the family nets $13,500.
On this estate the two land close enough that the fee list, not the percentage, decides the winner. That is the whole point. A rate compared without its fee schedule is not a comparison.
Do Estate Sale Companies Have a Minimum?
Most do, whether or not they publish it, because below a certain contents value the sale cannot cover the labor it requires. Some state a minimum estate value, some a minimum commission, and some simply decline the estate.
Ask directly. If a household is too small for a full sale, the better routes are usually an offsite sale where your items join a larger showroom event, a bulk offer, or a donation-and-clear plan. We would rather say that on the phone than run a sale that disappoints you. Our offsite estate sale option in Berry Hill exists partly for this reason.
Sales Tax on a Tennessee Estate Sale
In Tennessee, an estate sale run by a company that discloses who owns the property is not subject to sales tax on the household contents. Under the state's agent rule and the occasional-and-isolated-sales provision, the sale belongs to the estate or the family, and the estate is not a business.
We disclose, so your sale is not taxed. Motor vehicles are carved out, since a title transfer is taxable on its own terms. We are not your tax advisor, so confirm anything unusual with your CPA.
Ask every company you interview. A specific answer in either direction is fine. A shrug means nobody has looked, and the question becomes yours rather than theirs.
When You Get Paid
When the money arrives matters as much as the percentage.
We mail a check within five business days of the sale ending, with an itemized report listing what sold and at what price rather than a single lump-sum figure. Five business days is deliberately short, because families in the middle of a probate or a closing usually need the proceeds on a timeline that matters.
Ask every company for the number of days and whether the report is itemized. "As soon as we get everything counted" is not a commitment. Our itemized reporting page shows the full chain from checkout to settlement.
Five Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Take the same five to every company, and write down what each one says:
- What is your commission rate, and what does it cover?
- What is charged separately, in full, in writing?
- Is there a minimum, and what is it?
- How many days after the sale is the check mailed, and is the report itemized?
- What condition is the home left in when you are finished?
Three consultations blur together fast. Notes taken during the conversation are worth more than notes taken after it.
Common Questions About Estate Sale Costs
Do estate sale companies charge anything up front?
Reputable ones do not. The company is paid out of the sale through the agreed commission, so there is no deposit, consultation fee, or setup charge. A request for money before the sale is a reason to ask what it is for.
What is a typical estate sale commission in Nashville?
Commissions across the industry run 30 to 50 percent of gross sales. Nashville companies generally sit in the 30 to 45 percent band. Our standard rate is 40 percent, agreed in writing before any work begins.
Who pays for cleaning out the house after the sale?
Clearing the property to empty is normally quoted separately from the commission, because the cost depends on what is left and how it has to move out. We plan that step before setup begins and price it with your approval rather than after the fact.
Get an Estate Sale Cost Estimate for Your Home
A commission rate is a starting point. The number that matters is what your particular household is likely to bring, what it will take to get there, and what you net at the end.
We will walk the home with you, give you a realistic range, and put the terms in writing before anything begins. There is no cost for the consultation and no obligation afterward. Book a free consultation or call 615-899-4222.
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