Jeri

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Jeri
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Southwestern Woman

Home & Garden > Estate Sales
 

Estate Sales

Every time I go to an estate sale, it saddens me a little.
The one that ted and I went to yesterday was particularly
pitiful. For one thing, it had a bad smell no one could
identify. I thought the architect that had owned the house
probably died there and been left for a time. The house,
once grand, was in a state of terrible disrepair. There
was dust an inch thick on everything. They had some lovely
oriental things, a wall of books, art supplies and other
interesting objects.

Ted found a rareity. A heavy made in America socket set and
I bought an amber depression glass bowl and a set of new
king size sheets.

One room was a woman's dressing room and it had one wall of
shoes and 3 walls of clothing. The wall of shoes had niches
for them and it was absolutely full. I don't think any
thing had ever been thrown away.

The house spoke to me of elderly poverty and death. Someone
was too ill to keep it clean and too poor or too stubborn
to hire it cleaned. The house was like a once proud lady
gone to seed. I am wondering if the hiers will tear it
down or fix it up. We talked to a man whose children had
bought a house in the historic district and he said it was
a money pit, although a beautiful one.

Houses really are a passion with me, and especially the
old ones. That is why I keep going to these sales. Some of
the architecture is astounding in the old part of Oklahoma
City.

posted on May 16, 2011 6:47 AM ()

Comments:

You never know what you will encounter at an estate sale.
comment by redimpala on May 17, 2011 9:24 AM ()
They are always interesting. A lot of people were buying blue prints, I
wonder how they planned to decorate with them.
reply by elderjane on May 18, 2011 3:29 AM ()
Your reply is above John.
comment by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:48 AM ()
I am on an email list for my favorite estate liquidator. Look in the
yellow pages and see if you can find one. The best way to work it is to
go in and look at the items and if there is one you like bid a little over
half price. They then will call you on the second day when all the
items are half price. I nearly always get what I bid on. But then I like
unusual things. I have a friend who is moving to Baltimore and she can
sell her house, put the furnishings in the hands of a reputable estate
liquidator and not have to worry about disposing of the furniture.
comment by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:47 AM ()
It's sad to see historic homes become neglected and eventually torn down. But the upkeep is often financially impossible. What can one do?
comment by solitaire on May 17, 2011 5:41 AM ()
It is too bad that beautiful old houses aren't cared for.
reply by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:26 AM ()
I'm fascinated by those old homes in Oklahoma City. My dad told me the same thing your friend told you...total money hole. Presumably, one could stop spending money on it at some point, no?
comment by jerms on May 16, 2011 9:45 PM ()
At one time in the early sixties the houses in the historic district could
be purchased for as little as twenty thousand dollars. I wanted one
desperately but my husband talked me into building a house all because he
said the plumbing would have to be redone. I am sure they are money pits
but surely they stop sometime. This old house was on N. W. l6th. You
and red impala know what I mean.
reply by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:31 AM ()
That would be interesting to see houses that are older... maybe I'll check one out one day...
comment by kristilyn3 on May 16, 2011 12:27 PM ()
Kristy, you are in a treasure trove of old houses. Mount Vernon, the
Lee Mansion, they are too numerous to mention but they are all over Virginia and D. C.
reply by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:33 AM ()
I need a wall for our shoes. I rarely wear heels anymore, once a year if that, and yet I won't throw them away. I really need storage for sneakers that won't fit into those neat little shoe caddies, and storage for tall winter boots has never been available.
comment by tealstar on May 16, 2011 11:58 AM ()
It was a whole wall of niches just for shoes and they were big enough for
one pair. I have a high ceiling in my closet and can stand up my boots
on those shelves.
reply by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:36 AM ()
I look at our treasures and so-called collections around here and picture the auction or estate sale after we die, all the drawers emptied into those flat beer boxes and set out on long table in the sunshine for folks to paw through, and worst of all, things will get separated from their lids.
comment by troutbend on May 16, 2011 11:49 AM ()
I always feel that buying at an estate sale is like a green thing. Besides
re-using the item, we cherish it.
reply by elderjane on May 17, 2011 6:41 AM ()
I have the same thoughts ... Louis XV chairs sitting in the sunlight ... no one will know what they are.
reply by tealstar on May 16, 2011 11:55 AM ()
Donna wants to go to one of these sales (me too) but we usually hear about it after the fact. The house I'm living in, while not a mansion, had something of the same history. The two children moved out and the wife died 30 years previous to the husband's death. He let the place go. It was empty when I bought it, but pipes had frozen under the second bathroom that the geezer didn't use and the furnace under the extension was running so badly that there was evidence of plumes of soot around the registers. I got it for a good price and did most of the restoration myself, so it will be preserved for at least a few more years. I read a similar blog to yours awhile ago.. Some of the deceased's possessions will now become someone else's treasures, and the cycle continues... not altogether a bad thing. LOL Guess I'm psyched up to go yardsaleing in two weeks!
comment by jjoohhnn on May 16, 2011 7:16 AM ()

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