Estate Liquidation
The founders of BarnOwl Auctions LLC have been in the estate liquidation business for more than 18 years, serving primarily the Northern California area, but also helping dozens of estates nationwide. We have handled tens of thousands of items on behalf of clients.
The term liquidation is an austere sounding word. We understand that when families come to the difficult decision to part with items, whether through a family member passing, a divorce, downsizing, moving or other circumstances it is often an emotional time and can be difficult to make tough decisions let alone deal with all the logistics required to clear out an estate (whether in whole or in part).
We work carefully with estates, including seniors and their children, estate owners, estate executors and trustees, beneficiaries, heirs and family members to create a plan that satisfies the needs, desires, and legal constraints of each estate. No two estates are the same, and we take this into account with compassion, empathy, professionalism and integrity. We have handled everything from lifetime art collections to foreclosures to high profile estates with the utmost care and confidentiality.
In many cases, we counsel family members to closely communicate their intentions and preserve heirlooms, family historical items and items that have sentimental value to specific beneficiaries and family members.
As appropriate, we help inventory, evaluate and efficiently clear out the contents of an estate, a family home, senior care facilities and storage lockers. After agreeing to a comprehensive plan, we market and sell items in a manner that best aligns with the needs of the estate. For some items, this means marketing and selling them in an online shop or auction format. For other items, it means finding a qualified collector or buyer to directly purchase the item. Other items will get the highest price from a live auction format. In all cases, we work to get the best and most fair market value for each item. Some items have limited value and we’ll recommend how to best donate those items to reputable local non-profit organizations, or else dispose of those items when needed.
We can also help clients find highly reputable local real-estate agents, estate planning resources, moving and storage and similar resources as required.
We are bonded, insured, and are licensed auctioneers. We have often worked with the following situations:
- Seniors updating or finalizing estate planning with their families
- Estate executors or trustees struggling to deal with the estate of a loved one
- Lifetime collectors that need guidance in how to get top value for their collections
- Non profit organizations needing guidance on donated items
- Those looking to downsize their home
- Those looking to move or relocate
- Foreclosure sales
- Those settling an estate following a legal divorce
