Health Crisis. How do we respond? A direct reflection of who we are.

Life for all of us is changing. Facts -2,100 cases of Coronavirus in the U.S. Today. No one is to blame. No need to point fingers. My mom always told me you point one finger at someone and you are pointing three fingers back to yourself. Try it.

It is shocking at how effective this little virus is at bringing us to our knees. (Us) being every human being on the planet. How do we respond? How do we respond if we are infected? How do we respond if our loved ones are infected? How do we respond if we are told our schools are closed , or our sporting events are postponed or cancelled? How do we respond if we have to social distance and our jobs are dependent on having large groups of people come to our events?

How we respond is a direct reflection on who we are and how we have lived our lives up to this point. Are we selfless? Then we offer help and assistance to the less fortunate. Are we caring? Then we reach out to the most vulnerable. Make sure they are safe and heathy. Pick up groceries and medicine so they can stay safe. Reach out on social media and offer assistance to those in need. Are we leaders? Do we take initiative and make the unpopular tough decisions. Or do we throw caution to the wind and continue to shake hands with everyone we meet. Do we complain and get mad and blame others for overreacting, ruining our lives, tanking our 401Ks? Do we act crazy because the grocery store has an empty toilet paper shelf?

Domani Estate Sales and Management Services will do what we can to help our clients, friends and neighbors. We are in the process of developing a plan for how to handle future estate and moving sales. We are hopeful that we can come together and help each other get through this challenge. Please stay safe and let us know if there is anything we can do to help you with downsizing, liquidating your treasures, cleaning out your clutter or giving you advice on the best way to proceed in this very challenging time.

Social Media and the Antique Furniture Market

Antiques. Today when you ask a young person to define Antiques they will respond an antique is anyone who has a flip phone, landline, or someone who uses a pen and paper to communicate.

I looked up the definition of antique in the New Oxford American Dictionary.

An-tique – a collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its considerable age.

In an article in Economics, The Arts by Tyler Cowen he writes, “Compared with the heyday of antiques collecting, prices for average pieces are now “80 percent off,” said Colin Stair, the owner of Stair Galleries auction house in Hudson, N.Y. “Your typical Georgian 18th century furniture, chest of drawers, tripod tables, Pembroke tables,” he noted, can all be had for a fraction of what they cost 15 to 20 years ago.”

Why. What happened to so dramatically decrease the value of antiques?

Ebay, Esty, Amazon, Craig’s List have all helped to bring down pricing because of accessibility. A search in Ebay for Pembroke tables delivers 10 pages of Pembroke tables ranging in prices from $27,000.00 to $130.99. Or you could buy a book on how to build your own Pembroke Table for $29.99. Pages are filled with tables listed for sale now, not the ones that have sold. If I want to sell a table you need to see if a similar table has sold on Ebay and what price did it sell for. Everyone has access to this information.

Value is created when something is rare, original, unique, different. And most important value is created when something is desired.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary. Definition.

Value, worth imply intrinsic excellence or desirability.

Our lifestyles have changed.

Our cell phones have replaced, cameras, projectors, entertainment centers, recorders, turntables, postcards, landlines, fax machines, and so much more.

And our attitudes have changed. According to Greg Nolte large antique dining table sets are not of interest to his millennial customers reported by Allison Lee for Marketplace. She writes,”David Lackey is an appraiser on the long-running PBS series “Antiques Roadshow.” At his shop in an upscale neighborhood in Houston, Lackey said the market for antique furniture is down.”

I asked a friend’s daughter what her attitude was toward her Grandmom’s furniture and she responded. “I would rather Grandmom sell the furniture and take me on a trip.” A genuine 1840’s Victorian Antique Dinning Room Set King Cathedral Walnut and Marble Sideboard might be wonderful to look at and appreciate, however it might be hard to sell.

Uncluttered

Why do we love walks on the beach. Hikes to the mountain top. Walks in wide open meadows with miles of sky framing our serenity. Because. We love it when our vistas are uncluttered. The open, organized, uncluttered experience relaxes our soul. We find peace and tranquility in open space.

If your living space is cluttered, with surfaces smothered in papers, books, toys, tools… the effect on you is stress. We can help. Downsizing, clean out, uncluttering. We can help. You can create an environment that is less stressful, similar to a fine walk on the beach. Domani Estate Sales and Management is not a yoga class yet after we help you clear out your clutter, you will have plenty of room to start practicing.

The Adventure Starts…

blogpic The adventure starts… moving, downsizing, liquidating an estate, helping your loved one move into senior living, assisted care or letting go of your possessions to live a lighter, easier more organized life. The adventure starts with a phone call to Domani Estate Sales and Management Services. Our job is to understand your journey to know where you are going, when the estate is probated helps us to understand what we need to do to help you get there. We also want you to enjoy the journey with us. We will help you get to where you need to go and we will strive to enrich your journey. Our “why” is you. You make us better, brighter and enrich our lives when we understand what you need to do and work to make it happen for you. When the move, the downsize, the estate goes to probate, the sale of possessions, the letting go of loved ones inventory happens… the sun sets. It reflects and makes us look back and answer the questions,”how was the journey.”? Are you pleased with what we did for you? Did we do it in your timeframe? Did we make this part of the journey easier for you?