Two Weeks Down: My Estate Sale Flop
September 14, 2025
Well, look at that… 14 days gone. Two whole weeks into this 90-day clear-out and instead of a serene minimalist life, I’m knee deep in charging cords, broken promises and “WTF” moments.
The Estate Sale Idea (Yeah, No.)
I had this grand idea (mentioned in my last blog) to call in the pros… Let the estate sellers swoop in, haul my junk, and leave me sipping coffee while thay cut me a check. Sounds dreamy, right?
So I booked an appointment: Friday, 10am I prepped like Martha Stewart on crack. Straightening, vacuuming (yes, I located the elusive Dyson), and sort-of organizing. By “organizing” I mean shoving things into clear bins pretending it was intentional.
10am came.
10:15am passed
By 10:30, still no one. I called. Got an answering service who swore they’d pass along the message. And then,…No callback, no show, no nothing. Huge bubble burst. I was crushed. This was supposed to be my shortcut, my golden ticket. Instead, I got ghosted by an estate sale franchise called Caring Transitions. (Note: some franchise locations might be fabulous, but my local one? Hard pass. Beware, people)
Round Two: Another Company, Another Reality Check
Since I was already emotionally invested, I hunted down another company. They actually answered, hallelujah, and gave me the lowdown:
They book months out.
Some charge set-up fees (this one didn’t).
They take a percentage after evaluating your house (free consultation) usually between 35-50%
You need every personal thing cleared out before they even touch it.
And you can’t be living there.
Ohh, and their minimum? Four grand. Yep, $4k
So… yeah. Estate sales might work for some folks, but for me right now? On my timeline? Not the easy button I was hoping for.
DIY Estate Sale?
Naturally, I hit YouTube for “How to run your own estate sale.” Guess what? Nada. Well, almost nada. I found one gay couple who sold everything in a weekend making over $10k, before moving to Albania. Sounds amazing, right? But if you want their secrets, you’ve got to buy their $19.95 book. Cue my GeX response: “Fuuuuuck off, I’ll figure it out myself.”
Look, I’m not knocking their hustle. Sell your guides, kings! But I do thing more information needs to be out there, so as I’m in the trenches, I’ll share what works and what doesn’t for free. Because that’s the deal I made—to pay it forward.
What’s Next
Should I dip into Whatnot? Maybe. Should I stop obsessing over hypotheticals and actually, you know, take action? Definitely. Research time is over. It’s go-time!
Two weeks gone, 76 days left. Tick-tock.
<3 Xtina