Estate sales in Orange County are listed on sites like EstateSales.net and EstateSales.org, on the websites of local estate sale companies, and in local classified listings. Most sales run Friday through Sunday and get posted a few days ahead.

There is also a way to shop estate sales without the driving. CTBids.com runs online estate auctions from Caring Transitions offices across the country, including Tustin-Orange. Every item has photos, a description, and notes on its condition. Buyers bid from home over several days instead of lining up at a house at 7 in the morning, and pickup is arranged locally after the auction ends. For anyone who collects a specific type of item, looking through online listings is a lot faster than driving to six houses across Orange County on a Saturday.

The choice comes down to three things: knowing what items are worth, reaching enough buyers, and dealing with what is left over.

First, pricing. A family running its own sale is guessing at prices, and guessing is where the money gets lost. The most valuable items in a house are usually not the ones people expect. A professional estate sale company looks up what similar items have actually sold for and prices them against real sales, not guesses.

Second, buyers. A family sale reaches whoever drives past the sign. A professional sale reaches an established list of buyers, and an online auction reaches collectors across the country.

Third, leftovers. A family sale usually ends with a house that is still mostly full, and the family still has to handle donations, hauling, and cleanup. A full-service estate sale ends with an empty house.

Estate sale companies are usually paid a percentage of what sells, so the money comes out of the sale instead of out of pocket.

Estate sale companies almost always take a percentage of what sells instead of charging a flat fee. The percentage changes from company to company and depends on the size and value of the estate and how much extra work the job takes, like hauling, cleanout, or deep cleaning after the sale.

Four things are worth asking before signing anything. Does the percentage cover staff, advertising, and setup? Is cleanout after the sale included, or is it a separate charge? Is there a minimum? When and how does the family get paid after the sale ends?

Good companies put all of this in a written contract and do a free walkthrough before quoting a price. Caring Transitions Tustin-Orange does both.

Ask this question before hiring anyone. The answer is different at every company, and it decides whether the family ends up with an empty house or a second job.

Some companies run the sale and leave. The family is then responsible for donation pickups, hauling, and dump runs. Full-service companies handle the leftovers as part of the job, through charity donation, consignment, recycling, and removal.

Ask directly, and get the answer in writing in the contract. Caring Transitions handles what is left over as part of the service, so the house ends up empty and ready to list.

Most estate sales take three to five weeks from the first meeting to an empty house.

That time breaks down roughly like this. About a week of sorting and setting up. One to two weeks of looking up values, listing items, taking photos, and advertising. Two to four days for the sale itself. A few days after for the final cleanout.

Bigger houses and large collections take longer. An online auction on CTBids.com usually runs longer than several sales at the house, because items stay open to bidders for several days. An online auction also does not require the family to be there at any point, which is why families who live out of town often choose it.