Welcome to NESA

On behalf of the NESA Board of Directors I warmly welcome you to The National Estate Sales Association. We are a trade association founded to help define, motivate and promote our industry’s goals and agendas. We believe that a clear code of ethics sets an objective standard by which estate sales companies can be compared, which ultimately leads to better consumer protections. We are not a private enterprise or company; we are a member directed association, and as such our actions are on behalf of our membership and the public they serve.

We believe in the positive effects our industry contributes to the betterment of people’s lives. So, collectively we contributed many hours of our time, as well as the seed funding necessary to the launch of this organization. Between the fall of 2014 and the end of 2015 the NESA Board had four substantive face-to-face meetings, and worked through many issues. It was during our fourth meeting in Austin TX. that we formalized our board and designated our committees. Since then we have also participated in many formative teleconference calls. 

A trade association, to call itself such, requires it to have reached certain milestones.

1. Formation of a Board of Directors
2. Election of Officers and Committee Chairs
3. Written By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation
4. Defined Code of Ethics and Written Standards
5. Membership and Compliance Protocols
6. Membership Levels and Designations
7. Industry Advocacy and Support
8. Consumer and Member Education
9. Member Discussion Forums
10. 501c(6) Non-profit paperwork filed

We have accomplished these milestones in support of greater industry transparency, advancement of best practices and greater public awareness. We, of course, are committed to the continual refinement of NESA and what it stands for and will demonstrate this through the implementation of multiple member feedback platforms so that we can be made aware of member challenges in order to be of effective assistance to them.

Our founding board is representative of every style of estate sales company there is; from those who solely conduct on-site estate sales, to those who additionally offer buyout, consignment, or auction placement services. Our board members have conducted estate sales in many diverse areas of the country such as, Detroit, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Dallas. Because our board is so geographically diverse we have been able to take into consideration the many different ways estate sales are conducted and have these differences reflected in the writing of our standards and codes of ethics. Our effort comes from a collective determination to be of service to the industry which has so enhanced each of our lives.

From every angle, good estate sales professionals are constrained by influences they have little or no control over. Our industry is becoming ever more affected by online market forces, new low-fee companies, and the possibility of legislation or regulation. As challenging as each of these may be, when viewed objectively they, more than likely, can act as positive gateways to better opportunities for each of us. While it is possible to face these challenges by yourself, consider how much easier it will be for your company when it adds its voice to the voice of others.

Are you concerned about the industry? Have you felt the pinch of large commercial forces attempting to dip into your market share? Do you get contacted by potential clients who inform you, how much their things are worth because they “looked it up?” Have you seen amateur estate sales companies proliferate in your marketplace and impact your sales? Have you wished you could ask another estate sales professional some questions, but could find none who would? Have you struggled to understand what should or shouldn’t be included as an ethic within your standards of excellence? What is the best way to address concerns like these?

Aristotle said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” this means, that when a group acts in concert to effect change, their collective effort has greater impact than when you add the effects of separate efforts all together; it’s called synergy.

The most compelling reason to join NESA is that groups have a much better ability to effect change. Together we form into something which will influence various commercial entities and because of our standards and codes of ethics, gain a seat at the table when the time comes that legislation is proposed.

Our 501c(6) paperwork has filed and our non-profit status is currently pending. We serve NESA because our industry and the clients it serves are important to us.

For us, a great association provides multiple streams of value to its members. We approached vendors of goods and services and asked for and received discounted member rates. This vendor list will certainly increase month by month and will save members real dollars. We retained the services of a law firm to write three specific contracts for: On-Site Estate Sales, Consignments, and Buyouts. NESA members can access and download these documents as part of their annual membership. We have written educational articles for members only, specifically to address various aspects of the estate sales industry. We created a consumer education section on our website in support of our membership, and filled it with articles relating to the concerns of consumers. We feel that our code of ethics is the gold standard in the industry and that agreeing to abide by them helps members gain stature and the ability to position themselves as leaders. We know that member participation in our forums will give each of them greater confidence and help their business grow.

The content you see here, was written and conceived of by active estate sales professionals; people like you, who know the intricacies of the estate sales business. Collective knowledge is best. The success of the estate sales industry is dependent on what we together as a group can create and explain to each other. New challenges, whether they are issues of how to develop better customer relationships, or how to create effective ways to position your company, happen with regularity. Strong businesses collected together within an association are likely to be better able to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of the marketplace.

~ (NESA) National Estate Sales Association