The short answer on commission

Most estate sale companies in Atlanta charge 35 to 50 percent of gross sales, according to HomeLight’s review of Atlanta companies. Gross means everything the sale takes in, before any costs come out. Nationally the range runs wider: EstateSales.org’s polling of companies puts the typical commission at 25 to 45 percent, with 45 percent the single most commonly charged rate.

Why is Atlanta at the higher end? Two reasons. Labor is the company’s main cost, and metro Atlanta labor is not cheap. And many Atlanta sales are suburban houses full of good, ordinary furniture and household goods rather than antiques, which take just as many hours to sort and price but produce a smaller total to take a percentage of.

What a typical sale looks like in dollars

HomeLight, citing EstateSales.net figures, puts the average estate sale at $18,000 to $20,000 in gross revenue. Run a $19,000 sale through the math:

• At 35 percent commission, the company keeps $6,650 and the family receives about $12,350.
• At 40 percent, the company keeps $7,600 and the family receives about $11,400.
• At 50 percent, the company keeps $9,500 and the family receives about $9,500.

Those figures are before any extra fees, which the next sections cover. They are also an average, not a promise: plenty of Atlanta sales gross under $10,000, and a house with fine furniture, jewelry, or a serious collection can gross far more.

Where your rate lands in the range

Companies quote the percentage after walking the house, and the quote follows the work, not the other way around:

• Lower end (35 percent, sometimes less): a larger sale with desirable, easy-to-sell contents. Antiques, designer furniture, fine jewelry, tools in good condition, a garage a contractor would enjoy. The pot is big, so a smaller slice still pays the company well.
• Middle (around 40 to 45 percent): the standard mixed household. Decent furniture, full kitchen, closets, attic, decades of normal accumulation, all of it needing sorting, research, and pricing.
• Top end (45 to 50 percent, occasionally more): a smaller sale, a house that needs heavy sorting or cleaning before anything can be priced, or contents that are mostly low-value. The hours stay the same while the total shrinks, so the percentage rises.

Most Atlanta companies also have a floor. HomeLight notes that most prefer an expected gross of $5,000 to $10,000 before they will take a sale on. Below that, expect either a higher percentage, a minimum fee written into the contract, or a polite no, sometimes with a buyout or donation suggestion instead.

What the commission usually covers

A full-service commission normally pays for the whole operation:

• Sorting and organizing the contents
• Researching and pricing every item
• Staging the house so it shops like a store
• Advertising the sale, including listings on the national estate sale sites and the company’s own email list
• Staffing the sale days, usually two or three days, including checkout and security
• Handling all payments, and a final accounting of what sold

If a company is charging at the top of the range and still billing separately for several of these, that is a contract worth reading twice.

What often costs extra

This is where contracts differ most, and where families get surprised:

• Post-sale cleanout. Clearing whatever did not sell, hauling donations, and leaving the house empty and broom-clean is frequently a separate charge, billed hourly or as a flat add-on. This matters if the house is going on the market right after the sale.
• Credit card processing fees. Some companies deduct these from your share.
• Extra advertising beyond the standard listings, and signage.
• Specialist help, such as an appraiser for a collection, or security staff for a sale with valuables.
• Disposal costs, including dumpster rental for items that cannot be sold or donated.

None of these is automatically unreasonable. The rule is simpler: every one of them should be named in the contract, with a price or a rate, before anyone touches a thing.

Commission, flat fee, or buyout

Commission is the standard model because it aligns the company with the family: the more the sale makes, the more both sides earn. Two alternatives exist:

• Flat fee. A set price for running the sale regardless of results. It shows up on smaller jobs where a percentage would not cover the labor. You take the risk that the sale underperforms.
• Buyout. The company offers one lump sum for everything and hauls it away, sometimes within days. It pays noticeably less than a well-run sale, but when the house has to be empty fast, or you are managing from out of state, speed can be worth more than the difference.

An auction is a fourth route, better reserved for genuinely valuable pieces, antiques, collections, vehicles, that benefit from competitive bidding.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What is your commission, and is it on gross sales? (It almost always is; confirm it.)
2. What else gets deducted from our share, line by line?
3. What happens to everything that does not sell, and what does that step cost?
4. Is there a minimum fee, and what triggers it?
5. When do we get paid, and what does the final accounting look like? Payment typically arrives 7 to 10 business days after the sale ends.
6. Who is responsible if something is damaged or stolen during the sale?
7. Can we set aside or pull items after you have priced them, and how is that handled?

And one standing rule from everyone who watches this industry: never pay money up front. A reputable company earns its commission from the sale itself. A request for a deposit to get started is a reason to keep looking.

Is an estate sale company worth it?

Do the rough math on your house. If the contents would plausibly gross $15,000 or more and your family does not have the weekends, the local knowledge, or the stomach to price and sell a lifetime of belongings, the commission usually buys more than it costs: better prices, a far bigger crowd than a family-run sale draws, and an empty house at the end. If the contents are mostly low-value, a sale at 50 percent of a small number may net less than a buyout, a donation with a tax receipt, or a simpler cleanout. Our cleanout guide walks through that decision in order, including the Georgia probate timing that can affect when a sale is allowed to happen.

When you are ready to compare companies, our Atlanta estate sale company listings show who serves your suburb, and the intake form on this site will match your situation to pros in the right order, free for families, always.

What a senior move manager does

A senior move manager plans and runs the whole move for an older adult, not just moving day. According to the National Association of Senior and Specialty Move Managers (NASMM), typical services include:

• A move plan and timeline
• Sorting and downsizing, room by room
• A floor plan for the new home, so you know what will fit
• Arranging the sale, donation or disposal of what doesn’t move
• Hiring, scheduling and overseeing the movers
• Packing, unpacking and resettling the new home

Not every firm offers every service, so ask which ones are included in your quote.

Hourly rates

Our Atlanta estimate is about $60 to $125 an hour. Atlanta is a large metro, but it isn’t one of the higher-cost regions AARP names, so we use NASMM’s national survey figure for the low end and its large-city figure for the high end. We haven’t yet found an Atlanta move manager that posts its rates online. As Atlanta firms share their rates with us, we’ll update this range.

One question changes the math more than any other: is the rate per person? Ask whether the hourly rate covers one worker or the whole team, and how many people the estimate assumes.

What a whole move usually costs

The total depends mostly on hours. Published estimates for a full move fall in a similar band:

To put that in Atlanta terms: one full move described by Next Avenue took about 40 hours. At $60 to $125 an hour, 40 hours comes to $2,400 to $5,000 before movers. A small apartment-to-apartment move can take far fewer hours. A large house with decades of belongings can take many more.

How move managers bill

• By the hour. This is the most common approach, according to AARP and Care.com.
• By the project. One price for the whole job.
• Time packages. A set number of hours for a set price. NASMM’s Mary Kay Buysse gave Care.com the example of $1,000 for a block of hours. Packages help when you have a fixed budget.

NASMM members are required to put their fees in a written estimate and to use a written contract. Read both before anyone starts work.

What usually isn’t in the price

• Movers and the truck. These are usually a separate bill.
• Estate sale commissions, if an estate sale company sells what doesn’t move.
• Junk hauling, cleaning, storage, appraisals and shipping. Ask which outside vendors are included and which you’ll pay directly.
• Supplies, travel time, minimums, deposits and cancellation fees. Ask about each one before you sign.

What makes the price go up or down

• How much is in the house. More belongings mean more sorting hours.
• How much your family does itself. Every room you sort yourselves is time you don’t pay for.
• How many decisions are still open. Disagreements about keepsakes stretch the schedule.
• How much you hand over. A Place for Mom notes that families who want help with every step pay more than families who want help only with downsizing or organizing.
• Distance. For a long-distance move, AARP reports that some families hire one move manager at each end, which can cost less than one firm handling both.

Five ways to keep the cost down

1. Settle family keepsakes first. Get family claims in writing before the move manager starts. Our guide to cleaning out a parent’s house walks through how.
2. Do the easy sorting yourselves. Clear obvious trash and duplicates, but leave paperwork and anything that might have value for a closer look.
3. Buy a time package for the hardest parts. For many families that means the plan, the floor plan and move day.
4. For a long-distance move, ask about a move manager at each end.
5. Ask the senior living community whether it works with move managers or offers any move-in help.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Are you a member of NASMM, and how long have you done this work?
• Are you insured for liability and workers' compensation?
• Is your rate per person or for the team, and how many people does this estimate assume?
• Will you give me a written estimate and a written contract?
• Do you pack, or do the movers? How are the movers billed?
• Which outside vendors do you use, and why those?
• Is there a minimum, a deposit or a cancellation fee?
• Can I speak with two or three recent clients?

You can also read how we verify providers, including what we check for move managers.

Is a move manager worth it?

A move manager is usually worth considering when you’re coordinating from out of state, when the house holds decades of belongings, when a senior living move-in date sets a hard deadline, or when the family can’t agree on what to keep. For a small move with family nearby and time to spare, movers alone may be enough.