FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Estate sales can be daunting, especially if you’ve never had to have one before. The good news is that Arroyo is professional and highly experienced. Please see our FAQ’s below.

HIRING ARROYO

There are never any upfront costs.  We recommend that you do not hire any estate liquidator that charges any fees upfront.

Estate sales are the most efficient and profitable way to liquidate an estate.  From the beginning to the end Arroyo handles every aspect of cleaning, organizing, and liquidating the estate. While the heirs may only see a lifetime collection of stuff, Arroyo can find hidden value.  We have buyers for all types of items and deliver a broom-clean and empty home.

While donations can be part of an overall plan for dealing with the contents of an estate, charities are often far more picky than the general public and will often refuse the bulk of items offered.  During the pandemic this problem has been exacerbated due to an area-wide trend of de-cluttering.

For in-person estate sales we serve the entirety of Southern California.  For out of the area estates please contact for specifics.

Arroyo will come and meet with you for an initial consultation at the house. Here we will do a walk-through to determine whether or not your home is a good candidate for an estate sale. If it is, we will put you on the schedule and, depending on our availability, will get started as soon as possible.
We start by methodically going through the house, room by room, organizing, consolidating, and evaluating.  After this discovery phase we begin researching, pricing, and merchandising. Here we begin our advertising and marketing by taking high-quality photographs and doing descriptions of what is in the home for both our mailing list and online advertising. In the week prior to the sale it is our goal to generate as much interest as possible.  The sale itself is typically held over a 2 to 4 day period and you are paid within 10 days of the sale’s end.

We carry corporate liability insurance for piece of mind and asset protection.  Certificate of insurance can be provided.

There is little that is needed to prepare for us to come in and assess.  All that is needed is for the heirs to decide what they are taking.  The rest is left to us.  Under no circumstances should you throw away or donate anything until we have had a chance to look at the entire estate.

Call us today for a free no-obligation in-home consultation.

COVID-19

Our pandemic protocol is multi-faceted, ensuring the safety of our staff and customers and reducing liability to our client.  We follow both CDC and local directives so that we are in full legal compliance.  We will not hold a sale if it is not safe or legal to do so.

While the specifics of each sale and each locality may be different the foundations of our protocol remain the same.

  • Covid-19 specific liability release waivers
  • Staggered appointment times to avoid crowding and maintain 6 ft of physical distance
  • Masks at all times
  • Temperature check prior to entering
  • Gloves and hand sanitizer available for the staff and customers at all times

As this is a fluid situation, we are aware that things may change at a moment’s notice.  We are prepared to pivot to any new directives as needed.

The liability of the homeowner is limited.  We require that a homeowner’s policy be maintained throughout the sale period.  Additional, Arroyo is insured for additional liability should an occurrence exceed the homeowner’s policy limit.

Most liability insurance policies exclude all loses due to a pandemic.  For this reason,  all of our staff and customers must sign a Covid-19 Release Waiver.  In summary, this release states:

  • To the best of your knowledge you are not experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms nor have you been exposed to anyone who is known to have Covid-19.
  • You have not tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 20 days.
  • If you test positive in the 72 hours following being at our sale, you will contact Arroyo and let us know.
  • If we receive any knowledge that someone who has been at our sale has tested positive we will notify the local health department and provide them information for contact tracing.
  • Neither Arroyo nor the client and/or property owners can guarantee that transmission will not occur.  Neither Arroyo nor the client and/or property owner can be held liable for any transmission, infection, or any injuries or losses as a result of the same.

Following CDC and local guidelines we require from our employees and our customers:

  • Masks at all times.  No exceptions.
  • Gloves and hand sanitizer are provided and encouraged.
  • Strictly limiting the volume of customers at one time.
  • Providing an optional virtual sale with online shopping and curbside pickup.
  • As vaccines become available, vaccines will be required of all employees.

There are several options for having a sale during this pandemic.  Currently we are conducting most sales as Hybrid and Private sales as explained below.  As this situation is very fluid we are always monitoring current Health Department and CDC guidelines and are adjusting accordingly.

  • Modified Traditional Sale—  Strictly limited customer density with no appointments.  Limited amounts of customers are allowed in at a time and each person was given 30 minutes to shop the sale.
  • Hybrid Traditional Sale–Strictly limited customer density with appointments, walk-ins allowed on last day.  Appointments required, 30 minutes to shop the sale.  Final day walk-ins are allowed but density is strictly limited and 30 minutes per shopper only.  This option is not possible when transmission rates are high.
  • Private Sale–Appointments only, no walk-ins.  Appointments are required.  This is what we call a “Private Sale”  Density is strictly controlled.
  • Virtual Sale–Items are sold online and picked up curbside with staggered appointments.

ATTENDING A SALE

Arroyo does not pre-sell.

Arroyo charges sales tax for the local municipality where the sale is located.  Resellers with a valid California resale license do not have to pay sales tax.  The license or a facsimile of the license must be present and must be in the name of the purchaser.

Our typical discount schedule for a three day sale is:

  • First Day: no discounts, no exceptions.  Please do not ask
  • Second Day: 25% off
  • Third Day: 50% off

Sign up for our mailing list here.

Also you can find our next sales advertised at estatesales.net and estatesales.org.

No purses, backpacks, or other type of closed bag are allowed.  Open boxes and milk crates are encouraged.

We will gladly give out prices beforehand if time permits.  Please keep in mind that in the days before a sale we are incredibly busy with preparations and may not be able to respond to inquiries quickly.  We have limited ability to respond to questions in the 24 hours prior to a sale and cannot answer questions by telephone or email during a sale.

Still have more questions?