Meet Maggie Hunt of Hunt Estate Sales in West Roxbury

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Hunt.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My background is in elder care. It was a labor of love. I was devoted but broke. To supplement my income I developed a passion for thrifting into a small scale resale business. I sold the items I sourced at thrift stores and those my clients no longer used for cash we both dearly needed. Estate Sales were not only a mystery to me but also a sharp reminder of the predicament my clients would face with downsizing or with death. Walking into an estate sale is literally walking through, in the most tangible sense. a lifetime. Amassed things, significant and insignificant, end up on display to be purchased. I went to my first estate sale nine years ago.

Like a caretaker would aid their client in celebrating each waking day, I saw the estate sale between a memorial and a bequeathing of life, from heirlooms to Pyrex. It wasn’t an instantaneous click. But soon, with the support of my boyfriend, I knew my background in eldercare would translate to a comprehensive and compassionate service that would give us an edge in the estate sale world. I launched Hunt Estate Sales six years ago. Today, as husband and wife, we do what we love every day. We’ve never worked harder and we’ve never been happier. We bring a voice to a lifetime and, at the same time, usher that lifetime into its next adventure. It’s very rewarding assisting our clients through significant transitions as well as working in a secondhand industry.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth but I’ve had a strong partner and a love story on my side since day one. At first, we were so broke we sold everything of value we owned just to put gas in our cars and food on our table. Today the biggest challenge is scheduling time for us.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Hunt Estate Sales story. Tell us more about the business.
Welcome to the wonderful and magical world of estate sales. We are hired by our clients to sell things they no longer need. We have a multifaceted job that begins with organizing, staging and photographing those items for sale. Each week is different, the inventory and style are rarely similar, so we must quickly inventory and inspect the entire contents of a home. To accomplish this fete we bring in appraisers and experts in fields like books, jewelry, rugs, and art.

The more we know the better we are able to advertise – by tagging each picture with keywords we are able to reach a nationwide audience. This job is not for the 9-5 ers. We work while we drink coffee, labor all day, and return home to continue work- often until midnight. After a thorough review of all the information garnered from research and our appraisers we set prices on every item in a home, both common and extraordinary, find our attention because every dollar adds up for our clients.

We’re known in the community as hard-working, with a highly curated sale event, and as friends, because we encourage a positive atmosphere during our events.

We are the fairest company out there when it comes to services and fees. Our business model is based on delivering a successful sale event at no cost to our clients. Locally we are the only company that does not require a minimum amount, does not charge a flat fee or additional fees for services rendered. We are the most inviting company out there when it comes to our loyal followers and/or those new shoppers we meet every week. We encourage friendly negotiating, as it’s the norm at estate sales, and regularly feature our shoppers on our social media pages with their estate sale finds.

I’m proud to be self-employed, work in a second-hand industry, provide relief to those in the midst of a life transition but most of all I’m proud to have developed this business alongside my husband. We put in 200% and that’s infectious to our clients, staff, and shoppers. Recently a client said hiring HES “was the best gift she could have given herself”. Let Hunt Estate Sales get your Ducks in a Row and know you have hired the company with an edge on the estate sale world, with a fresh approach, attention to detail, care and concern and clear management of expectations.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There’s a lot of room for growth. It wasn’t long ago that advertising for estate sales was a single line in newsprint. Today online host sites and social media enable us to reach a worldwide audience. Shows like American Pickers have rekindled the spirit of the hunt for rare and unique finds. It’s impossible to discuss the growth in the estate sale industry without mentioning the growing population of aging and elderly in America. In the next ten years this population and the service industry working with this population will grow faster than any other industry.

Contact Info:

• Address:  358 Belgrade Ave West
  Roxbury Ma 02132
• Website: www.huntestatesales.com
• Phone: 617-817-1178
• Email: huntestatesales@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huntestatesales/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuntEstateSales/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuntEstateSales
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hunt-estate-sales-west-roxbury
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-hunt-344a61b7/

Image Credit:
Lillian Graham

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