According to Carrie Poulisse, owner of Northern Illinois-based Nana’s Treasures Estate Sales. “There are some items that adult children want, but there’s a lot that kids don’t want.”
Poulisse said that the top ten household items featured in most estate sales fall into three categories of importance to adult children: Don’t Want, Might Want, and Definitely Want.
Since many adult children of Boomer parents do not typically use fine china, the large cabinets used to display fancy dishes have little use for the younger generation.
If you have a contemporary or mid-century modern table or kitchen linens, those can be of value to adult children, but anything with lace, embroidery or crocheted items is ‘hit or miss’.
Downsizing parents may have a plan on who gets what when it comes to fine heirloom jewelry and wedding rings. But what about costume jewelry? Surprisingly, costume jewelry can be a hot estate sale commodity.
In the electronics category, no one will even look at old computer stuff, and newer electronics will sell but for a fraction of what they’re worth because there’s no warranty.