Ask Phyllis: a blog series of frequently asked real estate questions.
Estate sale procedures
Dear Phyllis,
I have been following your real estate question and answer column for years. I have a new subject, I don’t believe you have discussed. We sold our home with the same Realtor who helped us with our purchase more than twenty years ago. Because we were relocating to South Carolina to be near our grandchildren, our agent referred us to someone who could manage the estate sale after our move. My sister agreed to water, take out the trash, and generally keep an eye on the home for us after we left. Once we had cleared out what we were taking with us, the remaining items were tagged for sale.
We had already paid more than $100,000 in commission for the estate sale. I went ahead and paid the $125, although I was surprised by the request. Because we had moved out of state, I felt the estate sale company assumed there would be no further business from us.
Can you clarify how estate sale procedures typically work in situations like this?
Disgruntled
Dear Disgruntled,
In this situation, things could have gone differently. First, your agent could have contacted the estate sale company and asked them to waive the issue. Alternatively, the agent could have paid the $125 directly and resolved it without involving you. Either approach would likely have avoided unnecessary friction and preserved better feelings about selling your longtime home and relocating out of state.
The estate sales person sounds incredibly petty and greedy. Maybe if it was several items a case could be made but nit just this one