Spring is the time to house clean. Exceptional Estate Sales of NEPA can help make the cleaning easier.
Exceptional Estate Sales of NEPA is owned in partnership and operated by Rachel Gilbert and Meg Dempsey. Both have lived in Waverly for many years. The business was founded in 2015 and serves Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming, Wayne and Susquehanna counties.
“Prior to starting Exceptional Estate Sales, our only experience with estate sales was as frequent visitors at other sales. We both loved searching for that perfect piece of home décor or finding a great deal on practical household items,” Gilbert said. “After every sale, we would talk about what we would have done differently if were running that event. For example, better customer service, more organized, displays, accepting credit cards, etc.
“At that time, we both had taken a hiatus from our careers to be at home with young children. Finally, we realized that we had a passion for this business, and we made the leap to open Exceptional Estate Sales of NEPA.”
Gilbert is a former high school social studies teacher and administrator while Dempsey is a former attorney.
A client contacts Exceptional Estate Sales NEPA to get the process underway.
A brief assessment is done to determine what type of sale would be appropriate. The next step is a preliminary walk through. At that time, the client lets Exceptional Estate staff know what items they would like to offer for sale, what items they or family members will be keeping and areas they might like to keep private. It may take up to a full week to prepare for a sale. That includes organizing, display and appraisal of each item. The actual sale is usually two days over the course of a weekend.
“It is amazing that every house we have ever done holds at least one treasure,” Gilbert said. “From the most humble to the grandest home, there is something special. It is almost never what the clients believe to be the most valuable.
“For instance, we have found valuable religious items, including a very expensive Russian icon which was a religious piece of artwork stored under a bed. A one-of-a-kind fishing knife worth thousands of dollars thrown in a drawer with a bunch of other run of the mill pocket knives and a rare vintage model kit of the Titanic.
“This is why we implore our clients not to throw anything away until we have had the chance to assess the contents. It is not usually the fine China and crystal goblets that bring the most profit but rather those vintage toys and funky lamps that have been stored in the attic. It’s one of the things we love most about our job. Every Monday, we get to go on a treasure hunt. We are constantly educating ourselves.”
“A few of my friends used Exceptionally Estate Sales for the sale of their parents house too. They truly do everything for you. You don’t have to organize anything. They go through drawers, cabinets, attic, basement, closets, garage and everywhere there might be an item to sell. It takes a week for them to go through everything and stage the rooms. Anything that doesn’t sale, will go to local thrift shops or they make online sale. They are incredibly conscious of the emotional side of parting with items. If my sister and I, did it ourselves, we’d still be sitting in our childhood bedrooms reminiscing and never accomplish anything. They are amazing people that put in a lot of work to make things easier for you and they do it so well,” said Tammy Druck.
“What we like most about our job is the ability to help people at a time that can be overwhelming for them, and we also feel strongly about finding homes for wanted items,” said Dempsey.
“Our advice to anyone beginning the process of cleaning out a loved one’s home or readying their own home for a big move would be to call a professional before you do anything, We can make the process so much easier and less stressful. We also enjoy when customers share their vision for those worn or broken pieces an old door is turned into a kitchen island, old fishing poles used to make a sportsman’s Christmas tree. We want to start featuring these imaginative folks on our social media pages to inspire others,” said Gilbert.
For more information visit Exceptionally Estate web site, Facebook page or by text or phone call to Meg Dempsey 570-507-2978 or Rachel Gilbert 570-862-6760.
