We recently connected with Sophia Du Brul, ISA AM and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sophia, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Stuff is a problem, and that’s what I deal with. When my clients come to me, something traumatic is happening. No one thinks to themselves, “Oh, I think I will have an estate sale.” People think of having an estate sale when someone died, they need to downsize or are getting a divorce, so I am never walking into someone’s life at a good time and if that person has accumulated a lot of stuff, it’s yet another overwhelming burden on top of everything else.

My mission is to solve this problem and get rid of the stuff, relieve this burden, but to do it in a thoughtful, supportive, sustainable and empathetic way. I am fully aware. that I am entrusted with people’s memories and that selling the dining table where the family had all their holiday dinners represents a real loss. I really try and work with my clients to make sure that they keep the most precious and sentimental items. I listen to their stories. Frequently, there is also family drama, so I do a lot of counseling and keep the process moving forward, because there is always a deadline. That deadline is dictated by the real estate, a closing or getting it on the market. I am very mindful that the real estate is the most valuable asset and the contents are standing in the way of realizing that asset.

I had a hoarder client (a real hoarder, like on TV), living in a very dated, filthy house, but they had great art, vintage clothes, jazz records, etc, and they were in failing health. The house was a wreck but it sat on a very valuable lot. There was a lot of hand holding. There also was a lot if unpacking boxes and then one of them would get obsessed over the contents. I had to be gentle but firm to get this done and I helped them collect the most important things from their home for the new place. It was really hard for them to let go, but they had me over to their new condo, and it was like they each had become 15 years younger. They knew that all their things were a problem but the sheer weight of the task just. beat them down, but I took care of it. And they had a nice clean, new place surrounded by. the items that were the most important. It totally rejuvenated them.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Chicago native and I grew up in the art world. My mother had an art gallery, and my parents always collected. Not surprisingly, I studied art history in college, but it was a meandering path that took me to owning an estate sale and appraisal business. Before estate sales, I was a non-profit executive and then a teacher, but the stress of teaching really got to me and I resigned without much of a plan. A little antique store near me advertised for part time help, so I figured I would work there until I took the next step, not knowing what that step would be. So, I became a girl in a pretty shop, and into the shop came a gentleman who was the executor of an estate and he wanted us to look at some furniture for consignment. I went and looked and told him that furniture was not special but there’s lots of cool stuff, so you need an estate sale. He interviewed some companies and did not like them, so he circled back to me and asked if I would do it, and so I did!

Eight years later, I have become one of the most successful estate sale companies in Chicago. Where I differ from other companies is I really take care of my clients; my presentation of the items for sale, the staging, the cleaning (we even repair items) make my sales really stand out, and I have really creative multi-level marketing that brings in the customers. Also, I am an Accredited Member of the International Society of Appraisers. My appraisal credentials and expertise in art and antiques brings an extra level of knowledge when I evaluate an estate.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Realtors, period. I forge strategic partnerships with realtors. Because what I do, getting rid of the contents of a property, always involves some kind of transaction involving the property itself with serious deadlines, realtors need me to make that happen. They need me to empty houses before they go one the market or to get them cleared out in time for a closing. Realtors like working with me because I know that the big picture is getting this house closed on time and keep open communications with the realtor, the client, the new buyers, everyone involved.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

So many customers come to my estate sales and tell me that what I do looks like it must be so much fun. Okay, I do have fun at my job, but it also a lot of hard work, really physical labor, sometimes in completely gross conditions. It looks like fun when a customer comes to the sale and we have everything displayed nicely and cleaned, but what they don’t see is us slogging around the rat filled basement and bringing anything salvageable upstairs and cleaning it and fixing it before the customer sees it. It can be really wearing, and so can the stories. A lot of families are not happy. A lot of sales are houses of pain and sadness, so I really try and take care of my team’s mental health and well-being. I bring in homemade lunched for the team (they love my crock pot chili). I empathize when it’s a rough sale (rats, pain and sadness). When they are doing a good job, I make sure to tell them, always. If it turns out that one of my employees has not filed taxes and does not know how, I sit down with that worker and we do it together. And I pay well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sophiasestatesales.com
• Instagram: sophias_estatesales
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SophiaEstateSales
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sophia-c-du-brul-isa-am-06250044

Image Credits
Jeremy DuBrul Photography (image of me only) Sophia’s Estate Sales for all others