“Plan for more than you can do
Then do it
Bite off more than you can chew
Then chew it
Hitch your wagon to a star
Keep your seat
And there you are
Go to it!”

At Jennie Krausse Estate Liquidation, we put families first and foremost.  We’ve learned that if you are persistent, honest, and hardworking you almost always persevere and come out on top.  That’s why we don’t try to fool the public or the families we work for.  That’s also why we do things the way we do.

Making sure everyone in each transaction is satisfied and happy!
Charity is from your heart…

And a merchant said, “Speak to us of Buying and Selling.”
      And he answered and said:
      To you the earth yields her fruit, and you shall not want if you but know how to fill your hands.
      It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth that you shall find abundance and be satisfied.
      Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice, it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger.
      When in the market place you toilers of the sea and fields and vineyards meet the weavers and the potters and the gatherers of spices,
      – Invoke then the master spirit of the earth, to come into your midst and sanctify the scales and the reckoning that weighs value against value.
      And suffer not the barren-handed to take part in your transactions, who would sell their words for your labour.
      To such men you should say,
      “Come with us to the field, or go with our brothers to the sea and cast your net; For the land and the sea shall be bountiful to you even as to us.”
      And if there come the singers and the dancers and the flute players, – buy of their gifts also.
      For they too are gatherers of fruit and frankincense, and that which they bring, though fashioned of dreams, is raiment and food for your soul.
      And before you leave the marketplace, see that no one has gone his way with empty hands.
      For the master spirit of the earth shall not sleep peacefully upon the wind till the needs of the least of you are satisfied.

The Prophet
by Kahlil Gibran

For starters, we will never try to get you to sign a contract upon meeting, nor will we hold you liable after you have signed a contract, for personal items you’ve decided to keep regardless of the value or worth.  If we find or come upon money, personal papers, or photos, our crew will always consult with you first.  Your options of keeping such and not compensating us is a given.

Good business and reputation come before monetary reward and the entire crew knows this going in.  As sub-contractors working for themselves, these crew members want the best for the business and those the business serves.  They are paid fair and treated kindly so that they can return the favor to the families who hire us all.  We feed our crew daily and our impression is, that when you treat help fair and square, they will be more loyal and faithful and return the favor.

This is also our philosophy when it comes to pre-sales.  Many times friends, dealers, and clients have questioned why on earth we would set out a small feast, buffet, or even snacks for the people waiting in line at a pre-sale.  Why go to the trouble of bringing them chairs to wait in, shade to keep cool or blankets to sit upon?  What is our motive in doing so?  Our answer to this is, “Feed the masses, and they will be content and future friends.”  As Jennie’s not so little nephew told her once, “If you want people to follow you, feed them first and they’ll become loyal”.

We never serve alcohol at any of our sales for two reasons; we don’t condone drunk driving as few of our clients walk to our sales, and we never want to have a person suffer from buyers remorse and wish that they hadn’t bought an item and later want to return it. We like you to have your wits about you and although you may be relaxed with a full tummy, you are much more able to make a good decision without the addition of a mind-altering substance.

Clients waiting to buy

We also have a pre-sale to reward the dealers and collectors for the years of patronage at our sales.  We believe they pay higher prices, treat your collection with more respect, and the crew with more dignity.  Our clients are patient with one another in line and while shopping have been known to scout treasures for their friends who were unable to make the sale.  They buy in bulk and in the end this benefits everyone.

We are indebted to our clients on both ends: the ones hiring us and the ones buying from us.  We are indebted to the local neighbors for putting up with major traffic problems and parking issues.  That’s the reason we always try to invite them to the pre-sale and make them feel welcome, due to their patience and understanding.  Often, we will hand out thank you and coffee cards to neighbors.  We try to keep their lawns clear of cigarettes, trash, and paper and always walk the nearby neighborhood after a sale to clean up if necessary. After all, these were most likely your parents’ friends and neighbors for years and we wouldn’t want to tarnish the last memories they have of your family or your parent’s home, this would simply be wrong.

Our sales progress gradually, with the first day being strictly invitation only.  The second day opens up to the public with advertising from neighborhood fliers, signs, newspaper ads, and internet advertising.  The third day, Saturday, is our major discount day when all is half off and the unsold insignificant items are free at four pm.  On a one-day sale during the week we move to half price most often at 3pm with boxlot at 5pm and free items going to the poor at 6pm if allowed.

This last gesture of good will is our personal favorite part of the estate sale procedure.  This is the time when those less fortunate and with great need, come and take away free foods and dishes, (maybe chipped but good enough for them to feed their children from) torn furniture, and ripped clothing, food from the fridge, old eye glasses, broken toys and fabric to sew from.

Sunday giveaway time

It has been my experience that large charities do not take kindly to dirty or torn clothing for donations.  All items like the ones we speak of end up in large bins being taken to the dump or local landfill.  At Estate Sales Help, we like to share the wealth even if it only means a half jar of peanut butter (for squirrels) or a quarter roll of toilet paper.  If these gentle souls are not too proud to come and pick these items up to use them, who are we to bypass them and send it all to a landfill to rot with no purpose but to pollute our planet?

Our guess is that your parents or loved ones would have wanted their leftover household items to go to good use whether they were sold, being given away to a charity, or just to someone in need.  In the end, keeping things in the circle of our community is a pleasant thing to do and makes everyone involved feel good about the outcome.  This is another reason the people working on the sale Saturday walk away with a special smile and comfort in their hearts.

From our crew to your families, let us help you make months of work turn into a week of organized chaos and charm.  Just turn the matter over to us, and we assure you, in the end, you will be glad you gave Estate Sales Help the challenge of cleaning out your estate and easing up your time so that you may spend it with your family and enjoy life.  We will be glad to help you, all you need to do is call.

With greatest regard.
Jen and crew

Documentary of our company by Karlos Rene Ayala