I love estate sales. And so does seemingly everyone else in my hometown. While most people go for the tools, furniture, kitchen items, or collectibles, I have my eye on the prize, which is finding affordable art.
I also like to check out yard/garage sales, but in my area, they tend to be duds when looking for artwork. But estate sales are where I find some of my favorite affordable art pieces.
Not every estate sale is a winner, but when someone was an art collector of any kind, you can really win big if you play your cards right.
What Is an Estate Sale?
An estate sale is when an entire household of items is being sold when someone is moving, needs to downsize, or when the homeowner goes into a nursing home or dies. It’s kind of morbid to think about the reasons why the sale is going on, but the reality is that people can’t take everything with them in a move sometimes, or, in the case of a death, the family doesn’t want or need any of the household items.
Estate sales are usually organized by a professional company. Unlike a yard or garage sale, an estate sale opens the entire house for browsing. The price is usually marked on each item in the home.
In my area, there are only two companies that do this service. There are maybe one or two estate sales a month. They can be pretty disorganized and chaotic, so I have to be in the mindset of “I need to have patience and expect to be there a long time”.
Why Estate Sales Are Great for Art Lovers
In my hometown, most people are after tools, clothes, kitchen items, and furniture. The art can sometimes be overlooked because it’s not as popular. When I am at estate sales, I tend to be the loner looking at the art, which is nice, while the rest of the house is chaotic.
Prices Are Often Surprisingly Reasonable
Artwork at estate sales is almost always significantly cheaper than the owner probably purchased it for. Most of the time, I can find originals for less than I would spend at a big box store for mass produced decorative art. The framing alone is usually worth more than the sale price of the piece.
You Never Know What You’ll Find
Estate sales are usually advertised on social media weeks in advance. I like to check out their pictures first to see if I see anything of interest. You can usually tell when an estate sale is going to have art for sale. Pictures are obvious, but do you see other creative hobby items? How is their home décor? What style did they have? All of these questions can help you determine if there may be some art for sale.
You Can Find Original and Affordable Art
I got really lucky on the last few estate sales I went to. Most recently, the homeowner was an avid art collector with originals for sale. Some were very old and dirty with some wear on them. But some were in excellent condition, practically begging me to take them home.
Another one I recently got lucky at was a homeowner who was an artist herself. In her craft room, there were dozens of paintings of all sizes priced from $10 and below. That day, my boyfriend and I picked out our two favorites, framed them, and hung them above our bed. A desert scene for me, and an ocean scene for him.
Two original paintings we found in an artist’s craft room at an estate sale. After framing them, they became part of our bedroom.
What I Look for When Buying Art at Estate Sales
The most important thing for me when buying art is: Do I actually like it? Because I am building my art collection for my home, and not an investment, I have to like it. I am going to be looking at it every day, so I have to make sure it suits me and my home.
Is It Original?
I am at a point in my art collecting journey where I am looking for original pieces of art for my home. I am looking for a signature to authenticate it. I look for brushstrokes, texture, or indentations on the piece to verify that it is an original. I am also looking at the back of the piece to see where it was framed or if it has any gallery information. All of these details can help you determine if it’s an original piece of art.
Is It in Good Condition?
I also want to make sure it’s in good condition. Some pieces can have water or smoke damage, holes, cracked paint, or broken frames. If it’s going to require me to get a professional cleaning, or if I have to fix something, I will usually skip over that one; because not only am I cheap, I am also lazy!
At a recent estate sale, I found an original painting of an aspen tree trail. It reminded me of one from my childhood in my mom’s house. It was only $35. It was professionally framed. However, the paint was dingy, and it was cracking. It was very old and you could see that through the paint. In this case, although it was nostalgic for me, I passed on it because of the age and damage.
I almost brought this one home. The price was right and it reminded me of a painting from my childhood, but the age and condition issues ultimately made me pass.
Does the Price Make Sense?
At the same estate sale, I found a small original from a gallery artist out of Santa Fe. I loved it because it was an artistic southwest scene and it would have been perfect for my office. They listed it for $130 and that was way too much for me to spend on one piece.
I passed on it, but I also talked with a worker of the sale and she told me that she could let it go for $80 on the Sunday sale day if it was still available. The piece was gone on Sunday, but that was okay; I don’t need to buy every piece I like.
Sometimes the right choice is to walk away. One of my biggest pieces of advice is that you go into these sales with a budget in mind and stick to it. It’s easy to go in to a sale and find something you love that is more than you anticipated to spend, but it’s on sale, so “it’s okay”. That’s girl math, and it gets me sometimes, which is why it’s so important to stick to your budget.
The beauty of estate sales is that you can negotiate prices with them. If something is not within your budget, negotiate with them a little bit. If you can’t get it down to the price you are comfortable with, wait until the final sale day and see if it’s still available. If not, it wasn’t meant to be.
One tactic I use is if there are several pieces I want to buy, I will offer a lower price to them if I buy the multiple items at once. This way they feel like they are ensuring that they are selling more items all at once, instead of taking their chances selling one item at a time.
Estate Sale Tips for Beginners
Check pictures online first
Go to the estate sale website or their social media post to check for pictures
Arrive early for the best selection
You beat the crowds and you get first dibs on pieces
Check every room
People have pieces of art hanging in all of their spaces, even bathrooms
Don’t forget to look at the frames
Frames can tell you a lot of the story, especially the backs
Negotiate prices
Remember, their goal is to sell everything. Use that knowledge to leverage the best prices
Return on discount days if possible
This is where you find the deep discounts and can negotiate even more
The Part Nobody Talks About
Here’s the thing though, walking through someone else’s home can feel strange. Especially when you see everything for sale that this person used in their daily life. You can kind of imagine what their day to day would have looked like, and every item tells that story.
When I see a piece of art hanging in their hallway that I want to buy, I imagine that they probably walked by it and looked at it multiple times a day. They must have loved it to choose to see it that often. I wonder why they chose to buy it? Where were they when they bought it? What is that piece’s story?
I can wonder all day long, but after I buy it, it becomes part of my story. I get to tell people why I was drawn to it. Why I love it and where I was when I bought it. It becomes a story that once belonged to someone else and is now passed on to me to continue.
My Best Estate Sale Advice
When you decide to go to an estate sale, don’t go looking for one specific piece of art, but rather, go looking for possibilities. The best finds are usually the ones you never expected to find. Like the craft room full of original paintings that I found, where I discovered my two new favorite pieces.
Final Thoughts
Estate sales aren’t the fastest way to collect art, however, they are one of the best ways to find affordable art. They are really a great way to find original artwork when you live in a small community and there is not really access to galleries.
Sometimes you will leave empty-handed, but when you find a piece that you love and can afford, it’s worth it to go. For me, estate sales have become one of the most rewarding art experiences. I like to go for the hunt and the negotiating. It makes me feel good finding something I love for a really really good price and makes for a good story.
