Most people who’ve decided to sell their property at auction assume that the first thing they need to do to prepare for the big day is to start getting rid of things they think are worthless.
Not so fast, say Larry and Linda Makowski of Express Auctioneers and Appraisers, Gloucester.
Instead, let the auctioneer see everything first, no matter what kind of shape it’s in, and let the professionals decide. “People don’t know the value of things,” said Larry. “They end up negotiating the price downward.”
“They tend to throw away things they think aren’t valuable,” said Linda.
A husband-and-wife team, the Makowskis are both certified auctioneers and estate specialists, while Larry is additionally an accredited auctioneer of real estate. They recalled one estate auction they handled in which they arrived to find that the heirs had filled two dumpsters with what they thought was trash that had belonged to a deceased relative.
One dum...