My mother passed away this past July and my brothers and I contracted with Certified to conduct an estate sale. They came highly recommended but they failed in conducting a successful sale. Once the sale was over Steve Holcombe sent me an invoice for $1,879.00 for them failing to sale the $3,000.00 minimum per the contract. I then sent the following email: Losing my mother this past July has been the hardest thing my family and I have ever endured. We have done everything possible to honor her memory and integrity. We were referred to you and your company by our real estate agent. My brothers and I reviewed your website and customer reviews which were and are very positive. We were especially encouraged with the portion of your website which reads "We have never had a sale where the homeowner had to pay money out of pocket." Also, "we can pretty quickly tell the homeowner, and you, if the minimum is going to be an issue." We put credence in these statements and moved forward with you and your company. Again, we have never dealt with this type of family loss or dealt with a company such as yours. When you and I met on September 16 and you conducted your sales presentation I was relieved that I could move forward with your company and that everything would run smoothly. As the executor of my mother's estate I have been juggling many things and had so many stressful tasks to perform on her behalf. During your sales presentation you said that many road signs advertising the sale would be placed within a several mile radius directing people to the sale. I was late in getting the discard pile removed from the garage and it took until Wednesday before I could hire a company to remove the pile from the garage. I thought that you could begin the setup on Monday as planned in the interior house but then you stated that you would not start at all until the pile was totally cleared. You recommended that no family, including myself attend the event because it could be a stressful experience for us. We did not attend the sale as you requested but both my brother and I drove around the several mile vicinity on Friday and Saturday and only saw road signs at and within a few yards of the subdivision entrance. We thought that was odd but didn't think much about it at the time. Upon completion of the sale you sent me an email and attached an invoice on October 19 showing that you only sold $1,221.00 out of the $3,000.00 minimum, therefore, I owed $1,879.00 to make up the difference. I was quite shocked to hear this and then questioned you about the lack of road signs. You mentioned that thieves stole 6 of your area road signs and that "once thy are stolen we are hesitant to keep replacing them as it becomes a game for the thieves-at our cost." You never contacted me so we could address the lack of road signs issue. You also said the animal urine smell was a major issue for the poor amount of sales, however, you never mentioned that was a problem on your 2 previous visits, one of which was 2 days before the start of the sale. The slogan for your company is "Moving On Made Easy" but this has definitely not been the case. I contacted you last Tuesday, October 20 asking you to reconsider these charges. I again am asking you to do the same. This has been the most stressful situation that I have experienced since my mother's death. We ultimately agreed that I could pay half the invoice so I could put this terrible situation behind me. read more

Certified Estate Sales - From the website - Estate Liquidation Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

I've been to many sales, this was by far the most efficiently run. There were staff around to answer questions. They were continually re-organizing after shoppers would throw stuff on the floor. (Not kidding here....2 of 4 sales I went to this weekend the staff were sitting around the kitchen table and the homes were a mess.) Sarah at checkout was efficient and kept a long line moving. She and the team were pleasant and helpful. Items were priced fairly. I can't imagine this is an easy business to be in, but from a buyer's perspective...I'll be looking out for their sales. read more

Great people great customer service love to go to estate sale when they are there . Gigi is great and whole team Thank you read more

Debbie and her team did a top notch job for my boyfriend. Professional, efficient and effective. They sold 98% of the product. What didn't sell, she had a charity come in and clear out the balance. Such a pleasant experience. We would highly recommend their group! read more

LOVE!!! If I ever see a sign for "Certified Estate Sales" I GO! Merchandise is always beautifully presented, well organized, well priced and the people are super pleasant and helpful. I've been to several of their events and I highly recommend them! read more

Wow!!! What a great experience...After viewing an estate sale on the EstateSales.net app I decided to take a look in person. Upon arrival I was greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. As I came into contact with the staff every was warm and friendly. The staff was happy to answer any of my questions. At times when I didn't know what i was looking at a staff members would gladly come by and provide specifics. This was completely unexpected. Most estate sales I attended seem to be disconnected from their customers. There was one woman in particular who was very very knowledgeable. When I could not find the correct term this was no problem. What I found most pleasing is that the staff cleaned up after the house guest (customers) would move to other areas. Another staff members assisted me with moving items to the hold table. I insisted that I carry the heavier item however she was more than willing to take on the challenge. My expectations were more than met. I didn't feel rushed to make my purchase. If I didn't have work obligations in a few hours I would return to get the pedal stool. Thanks so much Certified Estate Sales for the pleasant experience this past Saturday. Sincerely, David Devine read more

Gigi is always a great help, not only with finding what I might be interested in - but lugging it all to checkout! Certified Estate Sales and Gigi are awesome! read more

Attended one of their sales at a $1.7 million home on Lake Lanier. Item was $6. The lady at the register looked it over and said "Well you and I know this should be at least $30" I replied "This is the price that was on it". She insisted that the price was wrong, I told her I didn't put the tag on it, that was how I found it. She clearly has zero customer service skills. We walked out. I feel like she implied that I changed the price myself. I'll never do business with this company. Beware of this company. read more

We attend a lot of Estate Sales and I found Certified Estate Sales to be one of the most professional services in Atlanta. They were properly staffed, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. They ensured the safety of the participants inside and out, and struck up what I consider the perfect balance in their pricing that looks after the owners interest, but insures that there is sufficient value for the participants. I plan to follow them for future sales! read more

Lots of great stuff to look through! Kind sellers willing to make deals definitely check them out!

What a great group! I had never attended an estate sale like this before. All the other ones felt like "garage sales" but this was like walking into a real store. All the people working were so sweet. It was a very cool experience and I can't wait to attend another. read more

I love their estate sales. Always quality items for great prices. Also they have really good customer service. Today one worker heard me asking if they still had an item I saw online. She told me it had been sold but then showed me the other exercise equipment and I found something I liked for even more. Never high mark ups like some of the other local estate companies read more

After 20 years in the same residence, my wife and I were referred by our realtor to secure this company to handle the sale of a large inventory of our possessions. We are empty nesters and had finally made the move to shrink from a 5,000 sq ft home to a 1,500 sq ft home. Upon meeting with them, they presented themselves as professionals who would price a realistic value to many of our assets. We had accumulated over the last 30 years, a large number of antique furnishings, art, and high end pieces, that we felt like had value. Little did we realize that estate sale really meant LIQUIDATORS!!! Everything (art, rugs, furnishings, went pennies on the dollar...we realize that we purchased many of our things at retail prices...but most things over 25 years ago...we are considering a letter to the Better Business Bureau as well as a legal action. NEVER consider this outrageous CLIPJOINT in your future!!!!! read more

Clay, Sara and crew were great! Awesome group of people with some nice treasures! I would recommend doing business with them! I will do business with them again! read more

Clay, Jackie, Bruce and team at CES are a very professional, organized, and compassionate group. They spent days organizing, and setting up an estate sale for us while we were able to spend time with my mother who was in hospice. They took the time to pull out personal items and made many suggestions along the way. After the sale was over they donated items that didn't sell to a great worthy cause (making sure we received the right off) and completely cleaned the home out .. Empty .. allowing us to only have to do some simple cleaning. I can't recommend them enough and have suggested their services to several friends! read more

I attended 2 estate sales hosted by this company over the weekend but will definitely avoid any being run by them in the future. I arrived at the first sale 30 minutes prior to opening with the hope of purchasing one item that was advertised in multiple pictures as being for sale and also appeared in the background of other items that were listed for sale. Upon entering, I asked where the item was located, but no one seemed to know what I was talking about. After searching the entire 3 levels of the home, I was first told that I was mistaken and that the item had been at the prior week's sale. I said that I had seen it on the current week's at for that address, and was told in a snide manner, "Well if you can find the picture, I'd love to see it." I located the picture immediately and upon providing proof of it, was then told "Well the owners must have taken it out after we priced it." Another customer told me that she had come to the sale for specific items, only to also find, that although they were prominently pictured in the sale advertisement, they were nowhere to be found. The sales team said that there was "a lot of stuff" in the house and that they couldn't possibly know where each inventoried item was located. I would argue that it's their job to know just that, particularly for heavily-advertised items that are posted to draw people to the sale. I was then told, "Well maybe you'll find something else to buy." I research the sales in advance online and have a specific list of items I'm looking for when I attend. I'm not there expressly for the purpose of window-shopping, and I do not appreciate having my time wasted with false advertising. Furthermore, when I have asked questions regarding the locations of specific items at estate sales with other companies, I have ALWAYS been given exact and explicit instructions as to where to find it or told that the items had been sold if I wasn't attending right at the sale opening. Nevertheless, I left that sale and continued on to a second sale that was unfortunately also hosted by Certified Estate Sales. The staff working that sale was extremely rude whenever we asked a question, and once again, not in control of their inventory. I took an item to the purchase table that had been placed with other items that were designated as all being the same price. It was not marked separately, nor was it placed with other like items that had been pulled aside with increased pricing. At checkout, I was snidely told that the item would not be the posted price but of course was more expensive and that she didn't know why I had found it where I did with the other less expensive things. It is their job to inventory and price items, not mine, and I do not appreciate being spoken to like I'm stupid because someone on their end didn't do their job. BUYER and SELLER BEWARE! As a seller, I would expect a company to be in control of the inventory and do a proper job of pricing, placing, and advertising. As a customer, I should be able to ask questions without being talked down to and should not be treated rudely for the estate sale company's mistakes. Next time, I'll take my business elsewhere, along with several other attendees who received similar treatment. There are plenty of other estate sale companies in the area who do a far superior job. I'll be sure to spread the word to avoid this one. read more

Clay, Debbie and Drew did just a phenomenal job of running my estate sale in Alpharetta and are truly a joy to work with. I was very nervous about the experience, especially that I was selling so many personal things and that so many people were coming through my soon to be closed on house. To my surprise they got much more than expected for my items, and had my entire house cleaned out by the end of the weekend. I couldn't be happier with the experience and highly recommend them to anyone considering having an estate sale. Thank you Certified! read more

Excellent team of professionals! All of their sales are very well done. All items are thoroughly researched and very fairly priced. Customer service is excellent for customers and clients. Top notch on every level. read more

I attended an estate sale this weekend that was run by Certified Estate Sales. It was in an upscale golf community. I have been to many estate sales in diverse neighborhoods and this one was memorable but for all the wrong reasons. The house was filthy dirty, with leaves and dirt all over the carpet. It was as if the resident had died and a fraternity (or pack of wild dogs) had moved in and run amok. There was a pile of dirt(!) in the middle of the front room. It looked like it had bird seed or watermelon seeds in it. Very few items were priced and when questioned about the price of books, the man sitting at the payment table wouldn't give a price but instead encouraged me to "make a pile" and he would "give me a good price." Since it smelled like someone had already "made a pile" on the carpet, I was reluctant to touch anything. I don't think it would have been that hard for the company that was profiting off selling the estate to run a vacuum cleaner through the house and do some basic staging/arranging. I left this house feeling down and grimy. The person who lived there might not have been able to keep their home clean, but their heir(s) and anyone opening the house to the general public should have been ashamed. I would be reluctant to follow this company's signs to another sale. Atlanta is a competitive market and there are others who do this well, read more

We decided it was time to downsize and move from our 3500 square foot home to a rental condo that was 1500 square feet. After 50 years of marriage we had accumulated a ton of useless stuff that included furniture we couldn't take, retail stuff from a store we owned 10 years ago, too many dishes, pictures, accessories, tools, garden equipment. Our list went on and on! We called Clay McNeil at Certified and set up a date for the sale. After separating out the things we wanted to keep their team got busy staging our things, researching and pricing. The day of the sale we took off for the mountains and returned 3 days later to find it all gone! We used our proceeds to buy new fresh furniture for the new digs - now that was fun! I like to tell friends that doing an estate sale and using Certified was one of the best decisions we've ever made. I can't even count the number of hours it would have taken to do it all ourselves. This was an awesome solution to a very big problem. It was just like magic! read more