We find there is an influx of brand new estate sale shoppers....welcome! We love newbies and please feel free to let us know you are new to the estate sale experience and ask any questions about "how it works." A simple question or two will save any misunderstanding or miscommunication and you will feel more comfortable. Most times the entire house is open for "looking" but other times we have to block off certain rooms at the family's discretion, as they may still be living there, or have items of their own put away. We ask that you respect our clients' homes as well as their possessions, as we are the "keepers" of all of it while they are not there and we are running the sale.
What can you buy at an estate sale? Truly, just about everything. Each home we work in is different and the merchandise varies....but typically we have furniture, home decor, rugs, art, lamps, household items, kitchenwares, clothing, tools, books, records and/or CDs, DVDs, etc. Many homes we prep and setup have antiques and collectibles and many people come to the sales looking just for those items. Sometimes we have fabulous jewelry, real and costume and there are also those collectors who search for just that. What many people do not know....and we try to educate our clients on "do not throw anything away".....is that many people come to the sales to buy simple day-to-day items for their homes...such as towels, bedding, kitchen utensils, small appliances like coffee makers, toasters, blenders. Many buy clothing and we very often have high end clothing and shoes at very nice discounted prices.....FAR less than you would pay at any store. We are liquidating an estate, so our prices reflect liquidation prices. Of course, our designer clothing items will not have the same $1, $2 and $3 pricing as the lower end clothing, but you will definitely get good buys for sure! A great example from one recent sale were two 100% pashmina shawls with gold threads throughout....these fine shawls cost at least $150 each when purchased.....this lucky lady who bought them recognized their beauty and value and she got them both for $40! She said she will keep one and give the other as a gift. Now that's a NICE gift!
Many people come to the sales for kitchen utensils, most of which cost $1 or so and sometimes bear names like Cuisinart and other nice brands.....others love buying pots and pans and we often find Magnalite pots, LeCreuset and other nicer brands but people also find brand new non stick pans for a dollar or two! You can find towles and bedding at great, low prices also and many times people have these items brand new...we often have bedding sets still in the packaging. How about cleaning supplies? We tell our clients please do not throw them away (you would be surprised at how many do).....most of you know what these products cost in the stores today......most of them are priced around $1 or so....a true bargain.
As for furniture, we have it all....many times a high end elegant home is being liquidated. The family is moving out of state and do not want to pay to move all the lovely furniture...the pricing is a fraction of what they paid for it at high end stores and many times designer stores and the Merchandise Mart! We also have that ordinary furniture in good shape that you may need for your basement, for your son/daughter going off to college. Many people like to "repurpose" furniture, by painting and refinishing, new hardware, etc. and this is the perfect place to find those pieces....for very little money.
We also sell tools, outdoor furniture, garden tools and lawn care items....all at greatly reduced prices from what you would pay at a store. The list is really endless and we never know what we will find inside someone's home. We sometimes have estates of "shopaholics"....those that shop online or from QVC, etc and have rooms filled with brand new items....which we normally price at 1/2 the store price and the second day you would get these items at 1/4 of the store price....AND THEY ARE BRAND NEW IN ORIGINAL PACKAGING! It doesn't get better than that.
So next time you are driving to a store for something, think about visiting an estate sale in your neighborhood (even driving a distance can be well worth it and we have many customers who do just that). You can find all the estate sales in the Chicagoland area by visiting estatesales.net. Of course, you can find our sales at:
http://www.timesaversestatesales/
We sure hope to see you at one of our sales and please stop by and say hi and we will welcome you! If you have any questions as to our policies and procedures, please ask.
The Team at Timesavers Estate Sales
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
What Is The Value of TIME?
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said...
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly...
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was... my time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said...
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly...
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was... my time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
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