Total Estate Liquidation

After my mom passed away, I hired Kathy to liquidate my mom and dad's belongings in an estate sale at their residence in Berkeley, and I thought she did a fantastic job.   I had taken the time to go through everything in the house and had discovered a lot of really unusual items.  My Dad had escaped Prague during the Nazi occupation, n my mom worked on the Enigma machine during WW2, and both of them were of the "why throw anything away" mindset.   So foraging through all the closets and cupboards and basement rooms and garage cabinets, I uncovered a treasure trove of amazing memorabilia and ephemera.
What I liked about Kathy was that when she saw these items, her eyes lit up.   She had a real appreciation for all the unusual stuff in the house.   Someone else might have just ignored this kind of thing.  But Kathy took the time to really examine stuff, she got a few experts up to appraise, and she really explained and advertised and displayed each item to its best possible advantage.  As a result, she sold incredible amounts of stuff, at good prices, that as I said, someone else would have just discarded.  
She also advertised the sale really skillfully, making reference to my Dad's long tenure as a professor at UC Berkeley and my mom and dad's background, which was not just touching and meaningful to me, but fascinating to people in the community, many of who knew my mom and dad.  People were thrilled to find items that were truly one-of-a-kind.  My mom had also furnished the house very nicely, with Oriental rugs, Viennese crystal chandelier, mid-century modern furniture, etc.  Again, some of these items had gotten damaged over time, and again, another seller might have looked down her nose at them.  But Kathy really appreciated their value, while also pricing them appropriately, so that they sold.  
She did a great job advertising the sale--she also lists her sales on her website, with pictures.   As a result, she got a huge crowd out--hundreds of people were lining up even well after the sale started!   And, again, because of the way she explained what everything were, people were thrilled to get these one of a kind, historically meaningful items.    I am SUPER happy with the job she did.   She was also great to work with, worked very hard, very easy, great communications.   She lists things on her website, with pictures, and she also took the time to send me pictures of the sale and the displays.  Items were well displayed and well priced (not too high, but also reflecting their value).    She got absolutely the most value out of the sale possible.  
She also provided me with two bids for the final cleanout (where a hauler comes in and clears away everything left, either to thrift store donations, or to the dump).  Both were very reasonable--one was even lower because she found someone who was still interested in trying to sell some of the items (more power to him).  I ended up going with the higher bid because it was the same company who had taken care of moving the items my sister and I had inherited to us here in L.A. and had done a great job, and also had a much bigger crew and were bonded and insured.  But I also appreciated Kathy finding me a "low-cost" option if that's what I had wanted to do.   
Another benefit of the successful sale was that people then began to inquire about the house's sale.  My realtor of course had provided Kathy with business cards.  
Kathy also then continued to sell a few higher-end items (my mom's fur coat, a daybed, etc) after the sale and also offered to consign a few items.    She is great with communication and continued to keep me posted, as well as offering some great suggestions about other items I need to sell here in L.A.  She did a terrific job and I would recommend her very highly.

Over the past 15+ years my wife has searched for vintage linens to sell on eBay.  We attended garage and estate sales throughout the Bay Area and beyond.  One of the main sources of quality pieces was at TEL estate sales in the East Bay.  
I can only imagine the job of meeting with families looking to liquidate their estates and be confronted with a home full of household goods, not to mention the emotional issues of relatives.  
Of interest to me is not so much "what" is offered for sale but "how" the estate sales are run.  For many years in my career, I used to liquidate financial institutions (that was also messy!)  but to take on 50+ years of accumulated "stuff" and to organize it in a way to maximize the return for the family as well as assure that taking on a job like this is a profitable venture is a difficult balancing act.
In contrast to other similar organizations, I have found TEL's process to be both orderly and fair.  Each buyer receives a detailed receipt that benefits all parties (Estate Owner, Buyers and TEL).  
I often wonder where the accountability is of other Estate Sales when the cash is given to the "sales person" and it is promptly placed in their pocket and the person walks out of the house with the merchandise and who knows what else!!
I have seen online some negative comments on pricing.  I have found pricing to be reasonable and fair over the years.  Merchandise cannot be 'given away'.  
Kathy and her crew have a great amount of experience dealing with all kinds of household goods.  They know what sells and what doesn't.  They are quick to separate someone's emotional attachment to an item versus the 'real world' value of a 'family heirloom.'  We have found their experience in pricing products of all types to be very fair....most at "garage sale prices" to be able to move the merchandise in a limited window of time.
Some of the complaints I noted seemed to relate to needs for more formal advance announcements, a more 'professional presentation' of the products, etc.  The fact is these are estate sales that are borne out of many families who have accumulated housefuls of 'stuff', many of which are cluttered and unorganized.   
These Sales are more the result of the family estate rather than TEL.  They hired TEL to liquidate a portion of the estate not to clean their home.
So, whether you're someone looking to having an estate liquidated or interested in searching for something of interest, TEL Estate Sales are always a great experience.  Items not sold, which TEL owns, can be viewed for purchase at the Oakland store on Telegraph near Alcatraz.
Our experiences for 15+ years have been terrific.

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Kathy succeeded in selling most everything on-site. She was not interested in carrying away the remaining small stuff for sale in other locations, which was a reasonable choice. She kept detailed records and fetched good prices. My family is grateful for her excellent service.
Her contracts are a little muddled (sorry Kathy!) and she can be a little unresponsive, but her focus is on her service, and the bottom line is she delivers.