Opinion

Sentimental Collectors – Or Hoarders?

Collectors come in all shapes and sizes, and I’m not talking about the extreme hoarding cases you see on television. I mean the everyday sentimental savers — the folks who have a few boxes tucked away in closets, attics, or basements filled with things they’ve held onto for years. People keep old items for all kinds of reasons. Some believe the object might be useful “one day.” Others feel guilty throwing away something that still has a little life left in it, even if they know deep down they’ll never be the one to squeeze out that last bit of usefulness. And then there are those who keep unwanted gifts simply because they feel too guilty to let them go.

But there’s another group I call the “sentimental collectors.” These are the people who keep items because of the memories attached to them. I understand these folks completely — I have my own boxes of treasures.

My favorite keepsakes, though, were not from my family, it was from a family friend. A stuffed white Teddy Bear that I have had for 56 years. And my dogs and I have slept with that bear, and when I told the dog to bring it, she would have gingerly went and got it and brought it. Then she would lay on it.

Sentimental items like these deserve their place. They carry stories, identity, and connection. But there’s a line — and many people cross it without realizing. Some keep items simply because they once belonged to someone they loved, even if the item itself meant nothing to the original owner. Maybe it was something they never got around to donating. Maybe it was something they didn’t care about at all.

This is where downsizing gets tricky, especially when families begin sorting through estates. And this is exactly where auctions shine.

The Auction Reality Check: Sentimental vs. Market Value

As a professional auctioneer, I see this every week. Families bring boxes of “collectibles” they believe are valuable because they were marketed as such decades ago. But the truth is that many mass‑produced “collectibles” were never rare, never scarce, and never intended to appreciate in value. They were designed to look collectible — not be collectible.

This includes items like:

  • Bradford Exchange figurines
  • Danbury Mint Plates and Nick Nacks
  • Franklin Mint plates and die‑cast pieces
  • TV‑marketed coin collections
  • Mass‑produced commemorative sets

These companies were masters of marketing. They used phrases like “limited edition,” “heirloom quality,” and “collector’s series” to create urgency and emotional attachment. But “limited edition” often meant millions produced. “Collector’s series” meant a product line designed to keep you buying the next piece. And “heirloom quality” meant nothing more than clever copywriting.

In the auction world, these items typically fall into the category of decorative but not valuable. They may sell, but usually for a fraction of their original purchase price. The sentimental value may be high, but the market value is low.

What Does Hold Value?

True collectibles — the kind that perform well at auction — share three traits:

  • Scarcity
  • Desirability
  • Authenticity

A mass‑produced plate from a mint company is not scarce. A TV‑marketed coin set is not desirable to serious numismatists. And a “collector doll” made in the tens of thousands is not authentic in the sense of rarity.

On the other hand, items like:

  • Vintage toys with original packaging
  • Authentic military memorabilia
  • Fine art and pottery
  • True numismatic coins
  • Historical documents
  • Quality furniture

These items can perform extremely well at auction because they meet real collector criteria.

The Sentimental Rule

The key is simple: Save items because they hold warm, personal memories — not because someone once told you they were “collectible.”

Your grandmother’s handwritten recipe card? Keep it. Your father’s Valentine’s Day notes? Treasure them. Your mother’s sewing kit? Absolutely.

But the mass‑produced “collectible” plate she bought from a TV commercial? That can go.

The Space Rule

Make sure every sentimental item has earned the right to take up space in your world. If it brings joy, connection, or meaning, keep it. If it’s only there because someone else once owned it — or because a company convinced them it was valuable — let it go.

And if you’re unsure whether something has real market value, that’s where a professional auctioneer can help. A quick evaluation can save you time, space, and disappointment.

The Estate Isn’t Paying for Sentimental Value

One of the hardest conversations in probate involves personal property.

When someone dies, the family is often left with a lifetime of possessions—furniture, tools, collectibles, dishes, artwork, clothing, appliances, yard equipment and countless boxes of things that have accumulated over the years. Almost immediately, someone starts trying to determine what everything is “worth.”

That is where emotion and economics often collide.

An executor may look at a dining room table and remember family holidays. Someone remembers what Mom paid for the furniture. Someone else remembers that Dad bought the tools one at a time over 30 years. A family member may insist that a particular item is worth thousands of dollars because of its history.

But the marketplace doesn’t buy memories.

It buys the item.

This is one reason attorneys, professional estate sale companies and auctioneers tend to take a much more practical approach to personal property. They understand that personal property can actually cost an estate money.

Consider a piece of furniture that the family believes is worth $1,000. If it takes several hours to sort, photograph, advertise, negotiate with buyers, move and eventually dispose of the item, the estate may discover that the actual return is far less than the perceived value.

And sometimes the economics are even worse.

An item might technically have a market value of $200, but if it costs $250 in labor, transportation, storage and handling to get that $200, it isn’t really an asset to the estate. It is an expense.

That is the part families sometimes have difficulty understanding.

The purpose of liquidating personal property in an estate isn’t to prove that everything has a high value. The purpose is to determine what can realistically produce money for the estate and what is going to consume estate resources.

That requires looking at the entire picture.

Maybe the $50 household items don’t seem important individually. But hundreds of them, properly organized and marketed, can produce meaningful revenue.

Maybe the tools in the garage have a much stronger market than the furniture in the living room.

Maybe the collectibles aren’t worth what the family thought they were.

Maybe the ordinary things nobody considered valuable are exactly what buyers are looking for.

And sometimes the best decision is recognizing that certain items simply aren’t worth the labor required to sell them.

This is why the right question isn’t, “What do we think this is worth?”

The better question is:

“What can this realistically produce for the estate after the cost of getting it sold?”

That is a fundamentally different way of looking at personal property.

Sentimental value has a place in probate. If an item has special meaning to a family member, keep it. There is nothing wrong with that. But once the decision is made to sell something for the benefit of the estate, sentimental value should no longer determine its economic value.

The market does that.

A professional estate liquidation process should look at what you actually have, identify where the market exists, determine the likely return, consider the cost of handling the property and then choose the most appropriate method of turning those assets into cash.

Sometimes it means an auction.

Sometimes it means selling individual items.

Sometimes it means donating or disposing of things that cost more to handle than they are worth.

The goal isn’t to put an inflated price on every possession.

The goal is to maximize the practical return to the estate.

After years of accumulating possessions, an estate doesn’t necessarily need someone to tell the family that everything is valuable.

It needs someone who can honestly tell them what has value, what doesn’t, what it will cost to sell it, and how to turn what they have into the most reasonable return the market will support.

Because the solution to an estate’s personal-property problem usually isn’t finding something more valuable.

The solution is recognizing the value that’s already there.

Zillow Can Be A Bad Source Of Information

There is no doubt that Zillow is one of the most popular real estate websites ever created. It is easy to use and full of helpful information. That is why so many people visit it every day. Trulia is very similar and has a clean, user-friendly design as well.

Both companies have spent millions of dollars building their websites. In 2015, Zillow bought Trulia. Many people in the real estate world thought this would make them even stronger online. But in April 2015, something happened that changed how Zillow and Trulia worked in the Triangle area and in many other parts of the country.

To understand what happened, you first need to know what an MLS is. MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. It is a private database where real estate agents list homes for sale. Each area has its own MLS. Agents use it to share accurate and up-to-date information about homes.

Because every MLS is different, it can be hard for large national websites to collect all that data. For years, a company called ListHub gathered MLS data and shared it with websites like Zillow and Trulia. Almost every MLS in the country worked with ListHub.

In 2014, Realtor.com bought ListHub. When that happened, Realtor.com gained control over a major source of MLS data. Zillow had a contract with ListHub, but when that contract ended, it was not renewed. As a result, Zillow and Trulia stopped receiving MLS data from many areas, including the Triangle MLS.

After that, Zillow had to try to make separate agreements with hundreds of individual MLS systems across the country. Some MLS groups agreed to work with them, but many did not. In areas without an agreement, Zillow no longer receives direct MLS information.

This means that in some locations, the listings on Zillow may not be fully accurate. Some homes may already be sold but still appear online. Other homes may not show up at all. Sometimes listings are added from other sources and may not be updated quickly.

Why does this matter to you?

When you are searching for a home, accurate information is very important. Buying a house is emotional and exciting. You might spend weeks or months looking for the right home. Imagine finally finding the perfect house online, only to learn it sold months ago. That can be frustrating and disappointing.

In some cases, homes may not even appear on certain national websites, so buyers never get the chance to see them before they are sold.

So where should you look?

The best place to find the most accurate and updated listings is through a website that connects directly to the local MLS. These sites update frequently and remove homes that have already sold or expired. You can also work directly with a local real estate professional who has full access to MLS data.

National websites like Realtor.com, Trulia, and Homes.com are still options, but not all of them receive the same direct MLS data in every area. Because of this, it is always wise to double-check information with a local expert.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, working with someone who understands the local market can make a big difference. Accurate data, local knowledge, and personal guidance will help you make better decisions.

The more informed you are, the smoother your home search will be.

Choosing the Best Liquidation Strategy

Deciding how to handle a lifetime of accumulated belongings is a significant responsibility that carries both financial and emotional weight. As an estate executor or representative, selecting the most suitable liquidation method is crucial for achieving a smooth process and maximizing returns. The two primary options—estate sales and auctions—operate quite differently, making it essential to understand their distinctions, benefits, and potential risks before proceeding.

High-Level Comparison

Estate sales and auctions differ in several fundamental ways. Estate sales use fixed, research-based retail prices set for each item, while auctions rely on dynamic pricing determined in real time through competitive bidding. Estate sales typically run over a 2–3 day on-site period, whereas auctions are often completed in a single day, a few hours, or within a defined online bidding window. Buyers at estate sales enjoy a relaxed, browse-and-buy retail shopping experience inside the home, in contrast to the fast-paced, competitive environment of auctions, which may be in-person, online, or hybrid. Estate sales work best for general household contents, everyday items, furniture, and tools. Auctions are ideal for high-value collections, fine art, rare antiques, and unique specialty pieces.

The core distinction lies in value realization: estate sales capture value through carefully researched tag pricing, while auctions leverage open-market competition to potentially achieve peak demand prices. It is not proper to call estate tag sales establishing fair market value due to the complexity of the pricing models. Whereas auctions establish the current fair market value through the bid process, where a buyer bids as high as they would like on the property, an estate tag sale negotiates prices lower.

How Estate Sales Work

An estate sale converts a private home into a multi-day pop-up retail store. Professional liquidators begin by sorting, researching, appraising, and staging every item throughout the property, ranging from living room furniture to kitchenware and garage tools. Once prepared, the doors open to the public for two to three days. Buyers browse at their own pace and make purchases at the marked prices, which are generally firm on the first day and then discounted progressively on following days to help clear out remaining inventory. This approach sometimes delivers full-house liquidation, typically allowing the entire process—from initial consultation to final cleanout—to wrap up within one to three weeks.

How Auctions Work

Auctions establish value through direct bidder competition and can take place via live in-person events, timed online platforms, or hybrid formats. The process involves cataloging and photographing items before presenting them to bidders, with the highest bidder winning each item or lot. An auctioneer calls bids in real time during live events, or an online platform handles timed bidding. This format creates urgency and momentum that can drive up prices for sought-after items. As a result, auctions concentrate buyer interest into a decisive event, making them particularly effective for high-demand assets where competitive bidding can unlock maximum market value. A key advantage is that auction companies typically sell the property down to the bare walls, removing nearly everything and eliminating additional hauling, disposal, or storage costs for the seller.

When an Estate Sale Is the Better Choice

Estate sales are purpose-built for whole-home liquidation, especially when the goal is to systematically clear out the complete contents of a property. They excel at monetizing everyday value by pricing and selling nearly every minor item individually—such as linens, kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, garden tools, and decor—which auction houses might otherwise skip or bundle into bulk lots. The on-site format is particularly advantageous for bulky items like furniture and appliances, as buyers can inspect them in context and typically arrive prepared with trucks and labor for removal. Estate sales also draw a broad local audience, including casual shoppers, neighbors, dealers, collectors, and bargain hunters, providing wide exposure across all types of inventory. Additionally, they offer predictable timelines that align well with real estate closing deadlines or probate schedules.

However, estate tag sales carry notable risks. If items that have a viable market do not sell during the sale period, they remain behind, potentially leaving the seller responsible for further removal, donation, or disposal efforts and associated costs.

When an Auction Makes More Sense

Auctions provide clear advantages when dealing with targeted, rare, or high-value items where fixed pricing might not capture full potential. They are especially effective for fine art, rare coins, luxury jewelry, firearms, or classic cars, as competitive bidding among passionate collectors can push final prices well beyond initial estimates. Online auction platforms extend global exposure to specialized buyers rather than relying solely on local foot traffic. Auctions also deliver a clear paper trail and high conversion rates through definitive event dates and transparent transaction records.

The Combined Hybrid Strategy

In many cases, the most profitable approach combines both methods. High-value art, rare coins, or standout collectibles can be directed to specialty auctions to reach targeted global buyers. The remaining household contents—furniture, kitchen supplies, everyday decor, tools, and clothing—can then be sold through an on-site estate sale. This dual strategy ensures each asset type is matched with the selling environment optimized for its highest return.

Costs, Fees, and Buyer’s Premiums

Estate sale companies generally charge a seller’s commission of 30% to 40% of total gross sales. This rate is typically all-inclusive, covering setup, labor, appraisal, marketing, staffing, and post-sale cleanup, with the company’s incentives fully aligned to overall performance.

Auction houses usually apply a lower seller’s commission, often between 15% and 25%. To manage costs like professional photography, marketing, cataloging, and overhead, they commonly add a buyer’s premium—an additional percentage paid by the winning bidder on top of the hammer price. This structure benefits sellers by shifting much of the operational burden to buyers, resulting in lower commission rates and a larger share of the base sale price retained.

Decision-Making Framework

To help determine the best path, consider the nature of the assets being liquidated. If the estate consists of an entire household with mixed inventory and a fast cleanout is needed, an estate sale is typically the right choice—provided you accept the risk that unsold items with potential market value may remain. For high-value or rare items such as fine art, coins, or niche collections, an auction generally makes more sense, especially when you want everything sold down to the bare walls to avoid lingering removal costs. When the estate includes both standout specialty pieces and a full house of general contents, a combined hybrid approach often delivers the strongest results.

Evaluating the inventory early with a qualified liquidation professional provides an honest assessment and guides you toward the strategy that maximizes financial return while minimizing stress.

In the case of a hoarder home, an auction is likely the best solution. Many estate sale companies do not handle the real estate, whereas many auctioneers who are dual licensed do, either by auction or traditional real estate.