One benefit to living is Los Angeles is the access to many Estate Sales. Estate Sales are essentially really great garage sales in which every item in the home is for sale. Companies are hired by families of recently deceased, or incapacitated people who can no longer live at home, to clear a house before it’s put on the market. Given the nature of these sales, they can be very hit or miss. One I attended a few weeks ago in Brentwood, which was advertised as a fashion designer’s estate, consisted of mostly junk, some wigs, and old cat litter boxes. The one I went to today however was incredible! It was in Beverly Hills in a small 1970s Spanish contemporary home (think lots of stucco and metal railings). Although the home itself was nothing impressive, the contents were amazing. Loads of vintage Moroccan rugs, mid-century teak furniture, textile wall hangings, and art filled the place. Two lucite and blue velvet upholstered chairs by Lawson-Fenning were the icing on the cake, but the price tag of $1000 for the pair was too much for me. The first day of an estate sale is not the time to find bargains. The high ticket items are usually not negotiable until the second or third day, but you can negotiate on most other items. I could have loaded my truck today, but I managed to control myself and came home with these.
I also made offers on a lithograph and a Moroccan hand-dyed textile wall handing, but won’t know until tomorrow if they have been accepted. Fingers crossed!
To find estate sales near you, I recommend Estatesales.net. You can register with your zip code and they will notify you when estate sales are happening in your area.
Happy hunting!
Jess
Jess McNaughton 