References
Chris--
I was just at the house this morning, and am also amazed and relieved at the total sale. Some surprises found, in the form of which items did NOT sell, but that is the nature of house sales, I guess. Of course, while I was sorting through the items to be thrown out with tomorrow's trash, some people stopped by to look once more, thinking that the sale was still on! I was able to give away some things that otherwise might have been tossed, so someone will get good use out of them. You all did an excellent job!! All in all, a very good experience! I'm glad we contacted you and your staff to do the sale. Of course, we'd be delighted to be an additional referral source for you. I'll need a few of your business cards, to keep at my office for purposes of referral, so if you could include those with your package, that'd be great!
Thanks also for closing up the house so well--nice attention to detail!
Talk soon,
M.J. (Lake Forest)
Dear Chris, I am sincerely grateful for the terrific job you and your staff did at our Oak Park sale. They worked in difficult conditions of extreme heat and rain, to do the impossible of making the sale a complete success. What an amazing job! As the one who first contacted you, I felt confident from our first conversation because of your warmth, thoughtfulness, and willingness to take on our "small sale." I can't begin to tell you how much easier you made everything for me. I was thrilled that most of the contents were sold. Thank you so very much for a successful sale, for above-and-beyond effort, and for making it a pleasure. Thank you, Terry (Oak Park)
I waited a couple of days after our Estate Sale to write to you to thank you for all you did for our family. Telling you how much we appreciate all your work, knowledge and expertise with all the work that needed to be done, does not really express how grateful we feel about you and your whole family. I had thought about trying the job myself and I
know that I would have NEVER been able to handle the enormity of the job.
Thank you again. R.S. ~ Skokie, IL
Via Email: Wednesday, January 25
We're really thrilled with the result of the sale--thanks so much! We'd be happy to recommend you.
Peg ~ Wheaton
Via Email: Monday, January 30
I was very satisfied with the professionalism that your staff showed to me, my family and the customers. I will recommend your team to friends and family.
Karen ~ Geneva
April
Hi Chris: I had a good feeling about doing business with Key from the outset. In a word, I'm 'thrilled'. The bottom line was not the primary focus for me although it achieved a number far beyond my expectations. Rather the overall process gave a certain dignity and respect to the underlying sentiment attached to a lifetime of acquisions, both good and not so good, which meant so much to my principal. In short, Key took the dread out of a dreadful process. Although there were others who probably deserve honorable mention, I would single out you for the leadership, pricing and tone for what was to follow and Diane for the execution. Diane treated the location and its contents as if they were her own. I'm pleased that we had a positive business relationship. Thank you. Key is the professional service it purports to be in its marketing material.
Tim D. ~ Westchester, IL
July 18
Chris and Ces –
Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you again for your hard work and great service during our moving sale this weekend. The two of you really went the extra mile for us during a difficult time, and we’d recommend you to anyone.
Moving is never easy, but having you here to run the sale for us was the smartest thing we could have done. You are thoroughly professional, and we felt very well taken care of from start to finish.
If anyone ever needs a reference, please tell them to email me at risaroo@earthlink.net - I’ll be happy to let them know what a great service you provide! Thanks again!
Best,
L.L~ Chicago, IL
Dear Ces & Chris,
I wanted to write you a well deserved thank you from myself and my family for a job well done with my parents estate sale. You are both trustworthy & professional and I will recommend you to everyone at our Church and any of our friends or family in the future who needs an estate sale conducted!
Thank you again!
Warm Regards,
R.T.~ St. Charles, IL
Hi Chris!
When I first spoke with you on the phone, I knew I could trust you and that you would do a good job for us! I can't thank you enough for all of the hard work that you, your husband and staff did for our sale, it really looked amazing and I can't believe how much of our "junk" you sold! I also really appreciate your honesty with us. As I told you earlier, we spoke with others who just told us what they thought we wanted to hear, you told us the truth. Thank you for being a class act! Any time you need a recommendation, please let me know. Thank you again!
P.S. Say "Hi" to Emma!
A.J.~ Barrington, IL
I'm thrilled to hear that the Estate sale you and your family put on did so well! You, my dear, are definitely on the top of my recommendation list AND, when it's time to combine both Lou and my houses (sometime this year) the 'stuff' will need to go somewhere! We will be giving you a call! So appreciated is your expertise and assistance.
N.L. ~ Arlington Heights, IL
Love your sales! Just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoy attending your conducted estate sales. They are always very organized and the items are creatively displayed. We appreciate that you take the time to price all items, unlike other sales we have attended, where you have to keep asking "How much is this?" We always make a point of getting to your sales, they are worth the drive even with high gas prices. We know we can expect an organized, clean sale with high quality items.
Sincerely,
Bruce and Kathy
(KEY Estate Sale Customers)
LinkedIn Recommendations
Greg Cisek has endorsed your work.
Dear Christine,
I've written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.
Details of the Recommendation: "Christine and Key Estate Sales handled the Estate sale of one of my clients. You did a excellent job and much appreciated. I would recommend you to any client seeking Estate sale services in the Chicagoland area! Thanks Christine.
Greg Cisek
Realtor
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage"
Service Category: Estate Sale services
Year first hired: 2008
Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
Key Estate Sales has the best service for your estate. The whole staff is dedicated to making your sale a success. They are very professional, knowledgeable, have fair & reasonable pricing, are friendly & courteous. They stage your home so attractively. I've been to many estate sales in the past and always felt the staff at Key Estate Sales were like old friends. They always greet people at the door and can call folks by name. It's obvious they have a good following. I decided to use them for mom's sale. I told the staff about mom's alzheimer's disease and how she hoarded money & heirlooms throughout the years. To our surprise, they presented us with $2000, old family pictures & correspondence they had found before the sale. Now that's integrity! My whole family appreciated a job well done and the outcome made us know for certain that we'd pick the best estate sale company. They took all of the worry off our shoulders. Thanks so much!
Pros: They research items & find the best market price; make all preparations well ahead of the sale, have frequent communication; written contracts & information; accepts credit cards at sale; have a huge mailing list to attract the most customers, a website to preview items in the sale and place several advertisements to make your sale successful.
Cons: Too easy to be a good consumer at their sales. You don't even have to carry cash.
Price Range: N/A
Recommended: Yes
As printed in the Daily Herald Newspaper on April 6th
"I used Key in the summer of 2003 to help me sell things in advance of a move due to a divorce," said Dori Cotrone of Buffalo Grove. "I did not have the time to sell things on eBay and holding a garage sale was not something I wanted to do because I had a lot of nice pieces that warranted more than a garage sale could bring in."
"My sale went very smoothly. Key is very organized and knowledgeable on pricing items. I sold most of my things and made a good amount of money to help me move and create a new home," she added.
Raija Casey of Elmhurst agreed. She used the Acostas to stage an estate sale in the Mount Prospect home she had sold in order to move into a smaller place.
"I had so much stuff to sell that they had to hold a three-day sale instead of the usual two-day sale," Casey admitted. "It would have taken me years to sell all of that on eBay."
But Casey was wary about trusting her items to the Acostas after hearing horror stories about other dealers skimming extra money from sales. So unbeknownst to the Acostas, she quietly took an inventory of her items after Key had priced them and compared her list to the accounting they gave her after the sale.
"They did not cheat me out of a penny," Casey said. "They were so honest and I was thrilled. They sold almost everything I had, even things I would have never expected anyone to buy and they were a pleasure to work with."
Posted on BackGarage blog
Key Estate Sales
Christine Acosta, the owner of Key, does a sale nearly every week. So these sales are always well run. While some of the homes tend to be higher-end (read: fancy bedroom sets and gold mirrors), I’ve been to some Key “dirty digs” that were beyond words, and when you start bringing up boxloads from the basement, Christine starts bargaining.
In response:
Nicole Pedretti on March 20th at 9:45 pm
I love Key Estate Sales! Their sales are always fun and I feel like they are old friends. I have been to both their “high end” sales, as well as digger sales and I have always walked away with a trunk full of stuff for a good price. I’ve been to alot of sales where the people are rude and the items SO over-priced that I have walked out with nothing. These guys are really good.
Thank you for doing a great job with my sale..I was very satisfied with the turn out and glad most of my stuff got SOLD..
S.A. ~ Hoffman Estates, IL
As an avid estate saler and part time treasure hunter, I am pleased to report the best find of all. "Key Estate Sales"
What a pleasure to be treated like a Valued customer for a change! It's never a chore to stand in line when the end of the wait finds you in the hands of friendly, considerate, (and above all) honest people. I've never seen inflated prices or misrepresentation of any items. You always get what you expect when dealing with any and all of the Key Staff.
Time is money and the folks at Key don't believe in wasting anyone's time. Attending one of their sales is something I always look forward to.
D.R.D. ~ Schaumburg, IL
Thanks to you, Cesilio and your entire staff for a great job with my sale.
H.P. ~ Naperville, IL
Chris,
I have never actually taken the time to write a "thank you" letter to a company until now. After handling our sale in 2006 and my fathers sale this past year, I am not only thrilled with the service you have provided with both sales, but will continue to refer you to anyone needing an estate sale. Thank you does not feel adequate enough after everything you have done for our family. Every person in your organization is a true professional, a pleasure to work with and honest to a fault. In addition to all of the hats you wear, you were a shoulder to cry on. I am hoping that it will be a long time until I need your services again, but I know that when I do, you will be my first and only call. Please do not hesitate to have any potential clients of yours call us for a glowing recommendation!
P.S. Good luck with the show, looking forward to you being a big star one day!
D.F. ~ Glen Ellyn, IL
E-Mail received from client:
Subject: Re: Today's Sale
Chris,
We drove by the house a little after 5pm last night and saw people stacking furniture on the front porch for pick up later! You guys did a great job. Needless to say, we are very impressed with your service and your attention to detail. We were concerned about things being damaged as people took their goods out, but nothing like that occurred. Everything was removed without damage to the walls, doors, banisters or anything else. Once again thanks for all your help. You did an outstanding job.
Thanks again for everything you and your team did to make our estate sale such an outstanding event with results that were better than we imagined.
T.Z. & S.Z. ~ Crystal Lake, IL
E-Mail received from client:
Subject:Estate Sale
Dear Chris,
You and your staff have been wonderful. Thank you for making our estate sale so smoothly. We welcome the opportunity to say a good word about Key Estate Sales.
Yours,
D. H. ~ Elgin
Thank you very much for the great job you did on our moving sale. Kris & I were VERY pleased with how the sale was handled and with the outcome.
Everyone from Key was kind, patient and professional. What could have been stressful was easy and fun. We camped out at the neighbors for part of the day and laughed as we watched people loading things into their cars. I will be recommending your services to my parents and my friends.
Thanks again Christine to you and your staff members at Key!
K.L. ~ Wilmette
Thanks for everything. Your staff was wonderful and very professional.
S.G. ~ Naperville
I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated Sue saving the chair cover from one of the Geneva estate sales a few weeks ago. I bought 3 stools with gorgeous covers. While she was cleaning up after the close of the sale she came across another cover from some mystery 4th stool that was not in the house. She kindly saved it and threw it in her car to save for sometime when she knew she would run into us at another estate sale. That took great thought and kindness to even care about hanging onto a chair cover...I push enough stuff around my car to know I don't want to save something that I don't know when I'll get rid of it. Long story short, when I was at another sale, Sue ran out to her car and gave me the cover. Very sweet and extremely nice...we always enjoy your estate sales for the great bargains and treasures that we find and really appreciate that you take care of us like family!
Renee ~ Wheaton
Dear Chris,
Thank you so much for the wonderful job. It was a true pleasure to work with you. The ladies who work for you are outstanding. They were all very knowledgeable, kind, honest and exceptionally hard working. I would be honored to be a reference for your company. We are amazed you found someone to purchase thousands of rubber stamps. Thank you again for all you have done.
Denise ~ Chicago
(2014 Online Review)
We used Key Estate Sales when we had to move my mother into assisted living. After reviewing many different options, we settled on Key based on friends recommendations (and we've been to their store in St. Charles).
They were extremely professional and gave great advice on how we should price items (some were unique). We were nervous about whether anyone would show, but they did some great marketing on their FB page and website and it was much better than expected.
They took a stressful situation for us and made it so much better by handling these details. It was a pleasure dealing with Chris and Ces and I would never hesitate to recommend them to anyone else in a similar situation.
630.677.1638
Check the Better Business Bureau! 2009 - 2013
A+ Complaint Free Award Recipients!
Thanks for all you and the ladies did including cleaning up. I never would have been able to do it myself with even half the results. And you have made a difficult situation much easier. I will be recommending you to anyone I find who needs year services. Please pass this on to your team. ~ Alice in Wheaton ~ October
Christine and Cesilio,
I don't know how you did it, but you did! A big thank you to you and your staff for a professional and flawlessly run sale. Everything you promised you delivered and then some. If you ever need a reference, send them over to me!
Thanks again!
~Joyce in Chicago
~October
Dear Chris,
I was pleased with the
set-up, sale and especially
all the personnel who worked the sale. Thank you for taking on my overwhelming project. Anyone would be more than satisfied when hiring Key Estate Sales.
~Leslie in Sycamore
~ July
Chris, Thank you so much for everything. You've been so wonderful and we will recommend you every chance we get. All the best to you, Chris.
Most sincerely,
~Janet in Palatine ~ August
Questions?
Call 630.677.1638
