Easy Ways to Find Estate Sales: 9 Steps (with Pictures) (2024)

Explore this Article

Co-authored bywikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 22, 2022

1. 1

   Use listing sites that are specifically for estate sales for best results. These sites will typically include highly detailed information about estate sales in your local area. Some of the most popular estate sale listing sites include EstateSales.net, EstateSales.org, and EstateSale.com.^[1]

   • The information you can expect to find in these listings often includes descriptions and photos of items for sale, prices, and directions to the sale.
   • Note that some listing sites may not be as popular in different areas, so it’s best to check multiple sites when you’re looking for estate sales.
   • When using listing sites, you can search for nearby estate sales by entering your city and zip code. You can also search for a particular item to find out if it’s being sold anywhere nearby.

   See Also

   Plymouth, MI Estate Sales around 48170Kalamazoo, MI Estate Sales around 49009Estate Sales 48044 - Macomb, MI Estate Auctions | EstateSales.orgEstate Sales Kalamazoo MI
2. 2

   Download an app for finding estate sales to your smartphone. Lots of estate sale listing sites offer apps that provide details on nearby estate sales on your phone. These apps are usually free, so download more than 1, if possible, to get the best information on local sales.^[2]

   • The iPhone app for EstateSales.net is the most popular app for estate sale listings, but there are others available that you can also download.
3. 3

   Look on general classifieds sites if you don’t have luck on listing sites. Some areas are not well represented on estate sale listing sites, especially more rural areas and places with small populations. In these areas, you’ll have more luck using a site like Craigslist to find local estate sales.^[3]

   • Estate sales on Craigslist are typically located in the “Garage & Moving Sales” category.
   • Be sure to use the specific Craigslist site for your area. For example, if you live in Chicago, go to chicago.craigslist.org to find local sales.
4. 4

   Check the online version of a local newspaper. If you’re not having any luck with listing sites or classifieds sites, your next best bet will be to look in the classifieds section on your newspaper’s website. This is especially useful for finding family-run sales, where the families are unable to take out ads on the more expensive listing sites.^[4]

   • The main downside to looking for estate sales in the newspaper is that you won’t have as much information about what items are for sale and for what price.
5. 5

   Sign up for an estate sale company’s email list to get updates on new sales. This is the easiest way to be notified about estate sales in the future. You can typically join a company’s mailing list on its website or at any sale that the company is hosting.^[5]

   • These mailing lists will typically only require your email address or mailing address, as well as your general location (e.g., your zip code), so they can send you information about sales near you.

   Advertisem*nt

1. 1

   Call a local estate sales company to ask about upcoming sales. Professional estate sales companies are hired by families to essentially run the estate sale on their behalf. This means that agents of these companies will be able to inform you of any estate sales that the company is handling or will be handling in the future.^[6]

   • Note that the company may not be able to give you the address for the estate sale until the day before the actual sale.
2. 2

   Check in the classifieds section of your local newspaper. Families with smaller estates often turn to newspapers to advertise their estate sales. However, note that in these ads, details about the estate sale usually aren’t as thorough.^[7]

   • For example, information about the specific items that will be available for sale or how much they will cost will probably be missing from ads in the newspaper.
3. See Also

   Estate Sales Davison, MI - Davison Estate Auctions | EstateSales.org

   3

   Look for street signs advertising estate sales in nearby neighborhoods. If you live in a relatively affluent neighborhood where people are likely to have estate sales, you may be able to see signs for the sales just by walking around the neighborhood. This is a hit-or-miss approach, though, so you should only use this method if you’re not in a hurry to find an estate sale.^[8]

   • For best results, take walks or drive around your neighborhood once a week and keep an eye out for any new signs that pop up.
4. 4

   Talk to other people at estate sales to learn how they find them. This is especially useful if you’re just starting out in the estate sales world and could use some “expert” advice. Most people at estate sales will probably have gone to one in the past, so they ought to be able to give you some tips on how to find sales in the future.^[9]

   • Be sure to be as friendly as you can when you talk to other people at estate sales. Remember, they might be trying to buy the same things that you’re after.

   Advertisem*nt

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question

3 votes - 67%