Families often hear “the estate sale company will value everything.” That’s true for pricing the sale, but a price tag isn’t an appraisal. Knowing the difference saves money and avoids problems with insurance, taxes or probate.
Sale pricing
An estate sale company prices items to sell during a short sale. Its prices are business decisions, often set to clear the house, and the company earns a commission on what sells.
An appraisal
A personal-property appraisal is a written report for a stated purpose: insurance, an estate tax return, a charitable donation, dividing property among heirs, or a court. It states the type of value, the date it applies to and how it was reached.
Which do you need?
Ask the person who needs the number. Your lawyer, executor, insurer or tax adviser can tell you what kind of report is required. If nobody needs a report and you only want to sell, sale pricing may be enough.
Checking an appraiser
- Ask which credential they hold, and from which organization. Check it with that organization.
- Ask whether they specialize in what you have: jewelry, art, firearms, antiques.
- Ask how the fee is calculated. Professional appraisal groups warn against fees based on a percentage of the value.
- Ask whether they would ever buy or sell the items. That’s a conflict of interest for an appraisal.
Real-estate appraisers value the house, not its contents. That’s a different license.
Some companies on this site offer appraisals as well as sales. Ask which service you’re getting. And when you call, please say “Joel from Fairhaven Design sent me.”
Based on consumer guidance from the American Society of Appraisers, the International Society of Appraisers’ code of ethics and The Appraisal Foundation, checked November 8, 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice.