An estate liquidator takes responsibility for the contents of a home and converts them into money, donations, or disposal. In practice that means sorting and cataloguing what is there, researching what has resale value, pricing it, running the sale — on-site, by auction, or online — and then clearing whatever is left so the house can be listed or handed over. Some firms handle the whole chain; others specialise in one part of it, such as appraisal or auction. The listings in this directory say which.

Most estate sale and liquidation firms work on commission — a percentage of what the contents sell for — rather than an hourly rate, which aligns their incentive with yours. Some charge a minimum fee if the total sale is small, and clearing or disposal of unsold items is often quoted separately because it is a cost rather than a revenue. Appraisals are more commonly billed as a flat fee or hourly. Rates vary widely by firm and by what is in the house, so get two or three written quotes and make sure each one states what happens to unsold goods.

An on-site estate sale suits a house with a large volume of ordinary household goods; buyers come to you and most of the contents move in a weekend. An auction — increasingly an online one — suits collections with genuine collector demand, where competitive bidding finds a price no fixed tag would. Consignment suits a small number of high-value pieces you are willing to wait on. Many Toronto firms will recommend a mix once they have walked through the house.

In Ontario an estate trustee is responsible for identifying and valuing the estate's assets, and household contents are part of that. Practically, that means securing the property, locating the will, and getting a defensible valuation of anything significant before it leaves the house — a written appraisal protects you if a beneficiary questions the price later. Sentimental distributions to family should happen before a liquidator prices the sale. If the estate is contested or complex, talk to the estate lawyer before anything is sold. This directory is not legal advice.

For a typical Toronto family home, expect two to four weeks from first walkthrough to empty house: a week or so of sorting and cataloguing, the sale itself over a weekend, and then removal of what did not sell. Larger properties, houses with significant collections, or estates needing formal appraisal take longer. If the property is already listed for sale, tell the liquidator the closing date at the first conversation — it usually determines the whole plan.

Reputable firms will set out the plan for unsold goods in writing before the sale: donation to a charity that will collect, consignment of the few pieces worth waiting on, and disposal or recycling of the rest. Clearing is labour, so it is normally a line item rather than something absorbed into commission. Ask specifically who pays for the disposal bin, and whether the house is left broom-clean.