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Online Sign Up for Scottish Terrier lovers estate sale

JUNE 5, 2020

Sign up for a number to hold your place in line. No need to stop by to get a number. Stay alerted to where you are in line so you don’t need to stand outside. 🙂

Hello… In an effort to keep our buyers safe and save them time, we are using an online signup system for our upcoming sales.

Just sign-up using your cell phone and you will get a text with a ticket confirming your position in line.

On sale day, just arrive at the sale and wait in your vehicle until you get a text that it is time to come in.

If you have a low number, please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the sale. Higher numbers can show up later. 

There will be a status page to let you know where you are at any given time!


Another great idea for old furniture

MARCH 27, 2020

Mini Doll House — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV

Let it Be

MAY 5, 2019

This happened today:

I have been looking for The Beatles ‘Let it Be’ album for a while (read: years) because my Dad had it.

As a child, I would listen to it. I love the richness of the sound & just genuinely loved this album.

Dad was super religious so this was probably the only secular album he had – the rest were Kathleen Battle, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Holst, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart and sacred music. Maybe a jazz or standards instrumental album as well.

We moved from NY and somewhere between there and FL my father’s album collection disappeared.

I have searched for some time for this album and every time, I would just miss it. We even went to a Leftovers Austin, TX estate sale in April because they had one. But, just missed it.

Today we are pulling the final albums out of the attic for the upcoming Falls Church Estate Sale and there it was amongst the other 100s of titles.

Then, I realized today is my Dad’s birthday. 😭

Let It Be — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV

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A Teacher’s Treasures

APRIL 21, 2019

As the Fairfax Estate Sales team prepares for our ‘Teaching Traveler Estate Sale’ I found myself surrounded by very familiar sights: heavy boxes of outdated schoolbooks, lesson plans spanning decades, notes, term papers, yearbooks so old you can’t read the covers, photos of everything, mementos and various small treasures given to a beloved schoolteacher. I remember seeing these same items in our home and all the letters and notes were addressed to my father.

Those same stacks of dusty letters and cards containing wedding photos or newborn baby pictures with other happy updates were scattered around the home. These from students that had moved on to the next phases of their lives, but wanted to share their wonderful news with their educator from when they were younger.

Teddy Bear — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV

I saw the same type of faded class photos from each year he taught going back 30+ years, the stuffed animals, gifts and trinkets kept from those students that meant the world to him. And, as I helped clear the stacks this weekend, I was reminded of those same faded class pictures with all those smiling faces I would see in our garage or the shed and wonder where they all were now.

I always wondered why did my father keep all of these things? Why keep all of this paper & clutter? We could be using the space for OUR things! Who were these people taking up space in our home?

Why did all of these useless boxes have to follow him around? These dirty boxes packed with items from his teaching days in New York City tagged along with him all the way to Florida where he remained until he passed away. Why did he keep all of this junk? Was this even normal? We worried about this for many years.


We lived in a house surrounded by these mementos from these ‘other children.’ The ones that came before us and yes, we were a bit jealous. These ‘other kids’ were his family before we came along and would remain in his life until the end. We had to share apparently and we accepted that fact. He was so proud of those other children, as well, and we all needed to share in his admiration.


My dad and our current client are some of the great ones. The ones that shaped lives and gave all they had each and every year and the students were thankful for the opportunity to have crossed paths with such a fantastic person. How do I know? Because the mementos that are left behind speak volumes. Teaching is a gift.


As estate sale professionals, we don’t read the letters or cards, but if they are anything like the ones my father possessed, those cards are testament to a genuine person doing their best to train a child to be a good person. And, we all have that teacher that we remember who did this for us. For me, her name is Irene Matza and she was my Jr. High Science teacher. She was just delightful and so cool! I still remember her long dark hair and the hippy vibe she had. If you were lucky enough to land in her class you were truly blessed. After graduating my friends and I stayed in touch with her for years, but somewhere in college we lost touch. However, to this day I still think about her and how she made science a little more interesting & less intimidating for me.


I always wish there was more time to properly reachout to a huge community when a great teacher passes. Maybe if there was more time, we could track down as many people as possible and see if we can reconnect them with an item or memento or just let them know about the passing. There’s just never any time to do that and the items end up lost to history – such was the case with my father’s collections. When he passed away we no longer knew who all those children were and those fond memories were laid to rest with him. We no longer needed those yearbooks and class photos. It was time to let them go.


I do take solace in knowing that somewhere out there my favorite teachers kept something I gave to them and it was my teacher’s treasure. All the notes, the cards, the stuffed animals, the pictures, the letters…they are still out there continuing to bring a smile to their faces.


I wish we could take photos of all the items we are currently sorting or any of the items we sort through each sale like this, but it’s best to keep that private. I can just share that those gifts were their treasures and it didn’t matter how small or seemingly insignificant, they kept it with them.


You may find yourself thinking about that one special educator that pops into your thoughts every now & then and you wonder where they are now or how they are doing. You wonder if they ever think of you and do they still have that special Christmas ornament you made or purchased for them in 1981?


Just know this: you meant a great deal to that person and they genuinely cared about you. You touched their lives as much as they touched yours. Yes, they kept that ornament and it was delicately wrapped for each and every move. We honor that special bond you had and it will never be broken.


A few tips for Home Clear Outs

JUNE 16, 2018

Staying on-site during property removal may be difficult for some clients.

Many of our clients have lived in their homes for 20+ years and have accumulated many items over the years. When it comes time to hire a company to clear out a home, you may be overwhelmed by how much time you’ve already spent clearing items – knowing there is still much more to do.

Our team works efficiently and quickly to clear out an entire home. We normally ask that the client is not on-site for the clear out, but sometimes a client wishes to stay and watch.

The process of watching people taking art down from your walls, boxing up dishes that have been in your family for generations, and emptying closets of your old clothes may be stressful. It is also very emotional for some people. This may be a time when you may want to stop the moveout process to cherish the item one last time or maybe tell the team how you acquired the item.

Kitchen Supplies on Countertop — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV

Our team understands your attachment to your things and want to put you at ease – we also are very mindful of your time and try to work as quickly as possible to clear out your home in the most efficient manner possible.

Be aware that when the client stays on-site and asks the team to halt operations this may add extra time to your estimated total work. We’ve had clear outs last 2 weeks that were only estimated for 2 days because items were pulled off the truck, unpacked and then repacked.

Be assured when we pack up your home you will receive tax deductible receipts for all items donated and an inventory of your items you’ve decided to send to auction. You should also take photos of your belongings before the clear out begins so you know exactly what has left your home. This will ease your mind and allow you to step out of the home every now and then when you want to.

Clearing Out Home — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV

CLEARLY label items you are not removing from the property.

This is very important step. Once we begin to clear out the home, the team has been instructed to remove all items from the premises. We have been hired to tear down shelving, remove appliances and completely empty storage units. If an item you want to keep is not marked, we have no way of knowing you do not want it removed from the property.

A good way to do this is by placing tape on items that have clearly marked ‘Leave‘ or ‘For Family‘ marked on them. We will bring blue painter’s tape and markers and will conduct a walk-thru with you to label these items.

You can also set aside a room or closet and mark it ‘Off-limits.’ This will ensure the team does not disturb any items you definitely want to keep.

We ask that you don’t schedule other services while we are conducting the clear out.

You may be at the tail end of getting your home ready for the market. You have quite a bit to get accomplished in a short amount of time. When you schedule a home clear out, just be mindful that our team is working quickly and will be going in and out of the home.

  • Schedule painting for after the clear out is finished. This will save you many headaches.
  • Try not to schedule other contractors to perform work while our team is on-site. We are not responsible for other workers going in and out of your property.
  • If you must have other companies on-site please inform the manager on duty or team lead so they know who is to enter the home and where they will be located.

We hope these tips help you to prepare for your home clear out.

Family — Vienna, VA — Fairfax Estate Sales TFV
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