Estate sale companies provide helpful service for diverse home situations

METRO DETROIT — For those looking to move or for those who have lost someone and are interested in downsizing their possessions, estate sales professionals can provide assistance as individuals and families navigate through these issues.

Mara Topper, CEO and mediator for Senior Counseling Services, has worked with many people interested in scoping out estate sales professionals as they look to move and consider selling their houses.

“There’s a couple of people I refer clients to,” Topper said. “I also suggest they go with someone with good reviews that are clear about what they do.”

Potential clients are advised to consider how companies deal with cleaning out the home as well as donations and any other items that don’t sell. Clients should also consider what they want to take with them or give to family members, and if there are items they can’t take, they should consider taking smaller pieces or photos of the items.

Clients may also need emotional support through the process of these sales and may consider reaching out to friends, family members, or mental health professionals for emotional support. On the day of the sale, they should also consider doing something special with their loved ones and letting the estate sale companies handle the sales.

“This can be a very emotional event for seniors, children and families,” Topper said. “If you hire an estate company, let them run it.”

Clearview Estate Sales & Auctions provides support to interested parties throughout the metro Detroit area as well as in other parts of the country.

Chris Deneau, owner of Clearview Estate Sales & Auctions, has been interested in collecting and selling household items and antiques for around 25 years. He held his first estate sale when he was 19 years old and, through his business, aims to provide clients with a stress-free experience as Clearview Estate Sales & Auctions provides assistance with valuation, research, advertising and sales for each of their planned sales events.

“The industry standard (commission) is typically between 35-45%,” Deneau said in an email. “We however tailor each estate to the client’s needs. In estates that are higher dollar we lower the percentage to be fair to the client and ourselves. We also do not play the ‘first $5,000 is ours and then 45% after that’ like many companies do.”

On top of estate sales, another service that this business provides includes buy out and clean out services which allows for Clearview to quickly purchase and clean out items or residences so that the estate may be prepared for its next plans. Consignment sales are also available through their website, which features a variety of coins, antiques, jewelry, boats, motorcycles, vehicles and art among other items. Some items may be shipped to buyers, though most items are sold in person.

“We have a heavy online presence but we don’t specifically sell online,” Deneau said.

Through Clearview’s clients, Deneau and his staff have also found some unexpected items like homemade drug-related board games from the 1970s, tiny vials of cocaine, bricks of silver, and gold coins among other antiques and odd items. Deneau and his team will dispose of or hand over any concerning items like drugs and firearms to the proper authorities.

“You never know what you’re going to find,” Deneau said. “We’ve found all kinds of valuable crazy items.”

A lot of cleaning and preparation goes into each sale. If personal items are found, they will generally be hidden away in order to check with the clients.

“We scour the houses before the estate sale,” Deneau said. “We also reduce commission on high end items.”

These estate sales will generally run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the different addresses listed and each sale may take a few days depending on the client’s preferences. Once the sale ends, clients can expect to receive their check after a week.

“Everything is beautifully displayed,” Deneau said. “We get an eclectic mix of people and have gathered such a following. Our clients do very well.”

In July 2024, Deneau’s company worked with a retired 91-year-old resident of Long Lake Road in Troy, with the assistance of the resident’s friend and neighbor Karol Szymula, for a large estate sale that featured a large collection of different art pieces and antiquities.

“We already tried to help him sell some things,” Szymula said. “Clearview is the best and really tries to give the best bang.”

This Troy sale saw a long line of people come through, with over 130 people signed in for this event.

“When we started on Thursday, the first guy in line came from Seattle,” Szymula said. “The line never stopped.”

According to Szymula, it took roughly around 15 months to get the house prepared for the sale with over 2,500 boxes full of stuff. The sale likely brought in over $100,000.

“The sale was unbelievably successful,” Szymula said. “We couldn’t do what Chris has done. It’s amazing.”

For more information, visit seniorcoun seling.info or clearviewestatesales.com.