Arie Lane Estate Sales

My mother and I had an incredibly positive experience with Arie Lane. Art and his team are not only professional and knowledgeable but kind, decent people. These sales can be stressful and difficult for families as they typically take place after a loved one has died. In our case the deceased was a long time friend of my mother's, who also happened to be a hoarder. Her house was filled top to bottom with several lifetimes worth of "stuff". Antiques, furniture, household items, housewares, decor, holiday decorations, clothes, material and other sewing supplies. Art met us at the house in April. Truthfully, I was interviewing two other estate agents that night. Comparing terms and service conditions. He was friendly, open and honest. Had a simple draft contract with him. Nothing was hidden. He talked up front about how the process worked and what his team was able to do in a very nice manner, patiently explaining and listening. He does charge a percentage of the sale type commission (25%) which in this case I felt was reasonable and well worth it. With a flat percentage commission fee sales model, there is no upfront payment. To me this approach incents the estate agent to properly promote and stage your items knowing that the better the turn out, the better the sale is for both parties. Because there was so much to sell, Art recommended two three day sales about 4 weeks apart. He worked for several weeks ahead of each sale staging and individually pricing items. Not all agents do this level of service. And that's one of the reasons why we choose Arie Lane. He had between 8 - 10 pages of pictures on his web site promoting each sale. (New pictures for each phase of the sale). The days of the sale his team was in place. They monitored the sale and regulated how many people could be in the house at any one time (a common practice). They provided quick settlement of the proceeds after each sale. I can not thank them enough for the professional, friendly service they provide. The estate sale more than exceeded our expectations. Both my mother and I would highly recommend them to any family in the Chicagoland area that needs to hold an estate sale.