B-KEEN Appraisals & Estate Sales

1) Why choose B-Keen to conduct your Estate Sale?

Paramount customer service, Honesty, Integrity, Professionalism, attention to detail, determination, current market knowledge, flexibility and willingness to do whatever it takes to bring top dollar for your goods. We work very hard to beautify and make your entire home look show-room ready. We evaluate, Appraise, appropriately price & display everything, in ways similar to what one might find in a fine department store. Please note that your best interest is also ours and we will not sell things for less than we must, however, it is liquidation and to be thoroughly effective, things must be priced to sell in a few days only. If you choose us, we will Prominently promote a highly acclaimed 1st Class Estate Sale on your property, conduct a weekend sale event and Satisfy or Exceed your needs and expectations.

2) How much will it cost?

Nothing out of pocket, we charge a competitive percentage rate or “commission” from the sale revenue. As every household is different so too is the work needed to liquidate it. We “bid” each job differently, and lock this rate into our plain-English contract, before getting started. No hidden charges. Even those from credit card processing are paid through our commission. We provide everything required to prepare and conduct the sale, can help our clients obtain applicable city ordinance required permits, but ask to share only the cost of advertising as distant home locations require a greater than normal ad distribution. Normally our total ad costs for 1-newspaper and 5-online insertions are less than $110.

3) Can my family and I just sell it all ourselves?

Yes, but it is VERY time consuming, frustrating, and deceptively difficult.

4) What’s involved in the process?

A Lot… Preparation by digging through every room, closet, cabinet, chest, drawer, box, bag, container, garage, attic, basement, shed, yard, garden & storage facility. Discarding all trash, sorting, categorizing, thorough assessment, cleaning, displaying, photographing, researching, appraising and pricing days on end. We optimize presentation, plan pedestrian flow, restrict access & remove doors as needed, add extra lighting, try to keep merchandise off the floor via folding tables, shelving & displays. Other considerations include sale timing, logistics, safety, code compliance, parking and communicating with helpers, clients, family, Realtors, neighbors & more. Clever, prominent advertising and effective promotion by signage, e-mail, ads in-print and on-line are all essential. Optimally, your Estate Sale will be a very busy event with adequate staffing to direct and assist customers, answer questions, negotiate, handle and record payment (be certain you are “PCI Compliant” if accepting credit cards), cover security and ensure safety. With everything correct, including pricing, discounts and sale techniques, little if anything will remain afterward. Charities are a good way to part with leftover items which you or your family does not want, you’ll get a tax benefit and some organizations will pick up. In Dallas we recommend the “City Square”, due to their generous Homeless benefit (over 92% efficient), professionalism and reliability.

5) How long will it take for B-Keen to conduct an Estate Sale?

After we answer each others questions, agree on things, sign a contract and then get started, households vary greatly and Typically require from One to Three Weeks to prepare and conduct a 2, 3, or 4-day, weekend sale event. A couple days may be needed after the sale, to get the place completely cleared out and provide your funding (some credit card transactions require 3-days to pass completely).

6) How do we decide what is worthy to sell and what is not?

Almost everything is worth something to someone. Just pull out all keep-sakes, photos, data-media, private information, prescription medications and anything else you don’t want exposed to the general public. Please let us decide what has value and what does not. Don’t Throw Anything Away except for: used packing materials, used underwear (unless its clean and VERY Old-Vintage!), stained or damaged clothing (nice clothing sells very well), dead batteries (please recycle), spoiled food, dirt & debris. Please note also that while some soiled, pet damaged or other objectionable items might hold some value, appearance is important and the nose knows! Keeping repulsive items in a sale could adversely affect the over-all outcome. Request advice from an experienced professional about anything questionable & please ask before discarding!

7) Can B-Keen sell automobiles, boats, RV’s, the house and/or Real Estate?

We sell all types of vehicles and have also attracted successful home-buyers for past clients. We offer a Reduced rate for vehicle sales and include Home advertisement with contact information referrals at No extra charge. We currently lack licensing required to sell Real Estate.

8) Is B-Keen insured against injury and theft?

Assured Safety & Security Top Our Priority List. We take every precaution to prevent mishaps by providing clear & wide pathways, marking step-downs and trip hazards, trimming hazard branches and brush, consolidating valuable smalls and staffing-up with appropriate personnel, including armed security, as needed to protect the public, our client’s home and vulnerable merchandise. Homeowners insurance carried on each estate where we work, can cover some accidents or significant problems, and we are prepared to assume due responsibility, pay deductibles or other, as needed. Additional levels of liability insurance protection is also available, as needed. Short of silver polish in the eye, (ouch!!, our staff…) we’ve never had a problem or claim of any kind.

9) Can clients influence pricing of their stuff which B-Keen is commissioned to sell?

No and Yes, We allow it on certain items, if discussed and agreed to, up-front. Many high-value items are unlikely to return an appreciable portion of their fair market value in a “typical” Estate Sale and may be better suited to auction or other venue. We won’t give your stuff away (there’s no profit in doing that), but we also don’t want to go the extreme other direction, it can have a similar effect. A prominence of high-priced items in an otherwise typical household, can scare away customers. Estate Sale shoppers will not feel sentimental values nor do they care what items cost when new (unless our price is higher . Some buyers who find, what they feel to be, over-priced items will call & tell their friends: “don’t come here” (witnessed at 3rd party sales), and then quickly exit to seek another sale… This trend can snowball and soon the sale will end, leaving a house full of stuff, not much revenue and a big dilemma!

10) Does B-Keen allow Pre-Sales (items to be sold before the advertised beginning of sale) ?

No, unless mandated by our client for family and their close family friends only. Extremely rare (we’ve done it once) and we clearly post it in our ads if we do. We do not allow any other Pre-sales. BTW, neither do we answer early pricing questions, as it can create an unfair advantage (seen it), not to mention the time lost from preparations. Thanks for your understanding & continued support!

11) Are there ANY items which B-Keen doesn’t handle?

No, we handle everything! Some clients have guessed that we don’t handle clothes or other, typically low-value items, and hence discarded or donated things without even asking. This is very frustrating because we’ve found the compounding of sales from so many small, low-value items can often add up to rival or exceed the total from larger value items. Certainly, it is less work to simply prepare and sell big, beautiful, & expensive pieces, but we know that today’s economy has many people seeking more modest finds and we want to attract as many buyers as we can. Toward our mutual benefit we really do sell everything from fine furniture, antiques and precious jewelry to common household & garage bric-a-brac, ie. anything our clients wish to get rid of, even live chickens:) & more,,, All of it!

12) What happens to items which B-Keen couldn’t sell?

That decision is entirely up to our client, we only get one chance. With non-influenced pricing it is generally not a problem. If needed, we might help sell limited items via appropriate auction or other means and recommend the use of charity to dispose of everything else.

About Us (B-Keen Appraisals & Estate Sales)

We champion the needs of our clients absolutely above all other concerns! Flexibility, innovation, attention to detail, honesty and rock solid dedication enable us to exceed client expectations. Whatever it takes, you can count on us to make it happen! Highly acclaimed by clients and customers alike, we go the extra mile to provide a bright & positive shopping experience which attracts impressive buying crowds who quickly convert your Estate Contents into Top Dollar liquid assets. If desired, we completely empty the house, leave it broom swept and ready for the next phase of occupancy. We thoroughly address unique client and customer needs through understanding and practicing of Professional Service Excellence. While everyone wants a good-deal, knowledgeable customers appreciate “a fair price”. We target competitive and fair liquidation pricing, in-line with current local market trends & today’s tenuous economy.

While our service levels vary greatly, professionally orchestrated, Genuine Estate Sales (aka. Tag Sales) and Entire Content Appraisals are what we do best. Additional services include Personal Property Item Appraisals, Estate Inventory, Photo-Documenting, Custom Packing & more. We help people in situations with a loss of loved ones, divorce, downsizing or any reason requiring liquidation or protection of assets in a timely and sensible manner. We’re affordable and willing to serve clients near & far. Fond of traveling, we camp well and are interested in ALL LOCATIONS on a case-by-case basis, please ask!

NEW ~ 1st Half 2014, ———> We are MOVING TO FLORIDA…! Even though for family… it was not an easy decision.., after living in Texas for over 33 years, the place kinda grows on ya! – We’ve met a ton of wonderful people, learned so much and witnessed mmazin’ things in the GREAT State we fondly think of as a sovereign Country! Thanks to ALL our beloved helpers, clients and patrons for your loyalty, kindness and wisdom! We love our Texans, cherish the Lone Star State and are not canceling business there, in the right situations we’ll be back for Appraisals, Estate Sales & maybe just visit!

Our new base is in Clearwater on Florida’s West Coast, the Tampa Bay Area. Barry was raised here and has many close friends (potential helpers) up & down the State. We now invite opportunities from Naples to Daytona Beach, ALL Florida & beyond.

In 2013 we are going strong with private appraisals and fine sales in progress. We’ve also a bit of extra good news to tell: Barry has found a new lady and wasted no time in making her his partner, they tied the knot in Nov.’12 She comes to us with strong backgrounds in business, accounting, marketing, interior design & much more. She’s already proven her skills and is certainly an asset… Barry says she’s a keeper! She may seem quiet and soft spoken, but don’t be fooled, she is sharp as a tack. We hope you’ll visit our next sale where you can meet her.

B-KEEN Company was conceived by Barry and Lisa[1] Kuenn in 2008, through clock-work like Estate Sale shopping over the course of 15 preceding years & very often finding shortcomings or poor business practices along the way. Ultimately, one-day, negative experiences led to a light-bulb moment for Barry. As was typical for him on most any weekend, he had planned and was actively shopping as many sales as he could, from Thursday thru Sunday. After witnessing another (one-too-many) incident from a moody, disgruntled & uncaring estate sale employee (or was this person the company owner!?!)… the light-bulb lit & Barry said to himself “I could do a better job than these rude people”. And so began the personal & professional challenge, he decided THIS would be his next career. Not letting go of his original goal, he still looks for improvement to be The Best in The Business, in fact, many customers have already gone out of their way to tell us that, bar none, we are “THE BEST”. While we don’t make every customer happy, we do try, and we receive lots of kudos. We have a similar track record with our clients, most can not believe how good we’ve made their place look, how busy & effective the sale was, even items they thought surely no one would buy -sold, the place totally cleared out and the proverbial cherry on top, they receive more money than expected! We take pride in our work and invest heavily in time & effort to promote safe, well received and very effective Estate Liquidation Sales.

Barry brings a variety of experience, knowledge, talent, tenacity, wit and calm demeanor to excel in this field. He’s had a lifelong hunger for learning anything, esp. history, antiques and collectibles. He grew up in Florida, moved to Texas at 19, worked as an electronic design technician & other technology support jobs until corporate bureaucracy, stress and opportunity to exit all knocked in unison. He then changed gears into the antique brokerage business. Took classes & graduated in year 2000 at the Texas Institute of Antiques and Collectibles in Denton and then traveled extensively, buying authentic pieces to be sold via antique mall booths and on-line. After the economic impact of 9-11, personal life changes and the aforementioned “light-bulb moment” it was time to take yet a new path and focus full-time on promoting High Quality Estate Liquidations. Since our humble beginning in 2008, we’ve enjoyed continuous growth each year. In July 2010 Barry added the role of Personal Property Appraiser, with a Certification from CAGA (Certified Appraisers Guild of America) , to his repertoire. He loves his work, especially the discovery & research of unique or finely crafted items, and then seeing the enthusiasm of proud buyers as they eagerly take possession! Raised in an old world traditional family and steeped in millennial world frenzy, Barry holds reverence to the old values and lives by a motto spoken by his late father – “A man is only as good as his word”. While we may only operate under signed contract, we also honor our word and do what we say. Furthermore, Barry insists that We not only do the job, indeed we do it right!

We do have helpers, and rely heavily on them… our team of experienced friendly, helpful assistants and consultants enable us to quickly accomplish our charter. They are all family or long-time personal friends with Barry and rest assured they are trustworthy, honest and very qualified to provide clients and customers alike with courteous Professionalism.

As Barry’s previous antique brokerage focused on genuine antique and vintage merchandise offered in a forthright manner, he also mandates our Estate Sale Service be “Top-Notch”. We’ve combined our best ideas with those of other top liquidators across Texas, Florida, Kansas and Missouri to deliver expedient, first class sales. You’re assured Unparalleled Satisfaction when you choose B-KEEN APPRAISALS & ESTATE SALES.

[1] With the greatest admiration and the deepest sorrow, I must inform everyone of the tragedy which has befallen us… In mid-June 2011 my late wife, Lisa, was diagnosed with a seriously advanced stage of ovarian cancer. While she declined uncertain modern surgery in favor of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) treatments in China, she held strong like no one else. However, after four short months, one day a tranquil calm took hold and she left our world. She went with a smile in thinking about her favorite little dog Fabio and two daughters, Ellie and Jessica. I feel honored to have known her for nearly nine years. She was as complex as anyone could be, strong willed, smart and had superior common sense. As Cantonese, Hakka and Mandarin were her primary dialects, her English (not to mention Spanish) words didn’t always reflect her true thoughts. She really had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met and somehow always produced well planned generosity. She was nothing short of miraculous in her cooking skills, things you’d be hard pressed to find on a menu anywhere and it would be knock your socks off awesome! Ever had papaya or pumpkin soup? How about cantaloupe stir-fry? She was also perhaps the cleanest person I’ve ever known and had a great sense of humor. With these and many more unwritten virtues, she will be fondly remembered for many generations. She was a tremendous benefit to and very much liked this business. She enjoyed meeting new people, I hope you had the chance. God rest her soul. -B

Got Stuff?

Do you have too much stuff?

Would you like a simple way to turn it into cash?

Are you overwhelmed, too busy or unable to deal with it?

Don’t know where to turn or who to trust?

Let the Pro’s at B-Keen Appraisals & Estate Sales solve your problem!

With no money out of pocket, we carefully handle it all and turn it into fast cash for you. We have the integrity, experience, knowledge and dedication to take care of every detailed step required to bring you top dollar for the goods you need cleared out and provide complete documentation for your peace of mind. While we must turn a profit to stay in business and few homes just don’t have enough “stuff” to make it professionally profitable… most people have more value in “stuff” than they realize. Small or large, packed or not, urban or rural we can help. Please give a call or “Send an Email” and let’s talk about it, we don’t charge to talk or visit.

We Care

Do you have items with sentimental value passed on to you from family or friends? We do and we’re not strangers to the dilemma of how to keep extra “stuff” while already immersed in our own full house! Large magnificent pieces or fine matching sets can be the most frustrating and complexity grows with sentimental significance and multiple surviving heirs. Items or collections may have been acquired over a lifetime or passed down from cherished generations. We don’t recommend anyone sell their most prized or antiquated family heirlooms. You might find ways to fit them in or swap out and sell modern items in favor of keeping your older or cherished pieces closer to the heart. Living with antiques is much more fun anyway!

Our services introduce us to interesting people with diverse and sensitive emotions. We can’t know exactly how you’re feeling but we do our best to understand your needs and try to handle every concern with kit gloves. Those who have come before us deserve honor and dignity, respectfully we treat their effects with high regard. We take great pride in carefully handling all of your property and protecting your home, as we would want if the tables were turned. We keep in contact during the whole process and let you know about any surprises or discoveries of forgotten, valuable or personal items. We work diligently to inspect, investigate and ensure that your goods bring their appropriate value (our pay depends on it).

Most of us, at some point in our lives, are faced with having to “let go” of things. Sadly, in our modern society, most pre-owned items hold Fair Market & Liquidation Values which rarely approach Retail or Sentimental Values. Many people have difficulty dealing with this and we understand. If you must sell things you’d rather keep, you may not want to see them go. We provide a complete service and handle everything. You can be involved as little or as much as you like. Simply tell us your need and we’ll do our best to make it happen, B-Keen Appraisals & Estate Sales, per your wishes!

-SAVE-

We work hard to promote 1st Class Estate Sales and only seek “a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work”. Noble and honest, We keep costs down and pass those savings on to clients and customers. We do it by employing many cost-saving techniques and exclusively enlist the help of family and trusted long-time friends. We provide lower rates to clients when possible and cut prices for customers when justified. Good Rates Plus Quality Service = B-Keen Appraisals & Estate Sales. Client needs are our #1 priority, and most often complete liquidation is the main goal, we use Fair Pricing to effectively satisfy all. Note also that since we’re paid only by percentage, under contract, We are absolutely motivated to fetch the highest price possible in selling your Estate items. We’re experienced and Certified in Appraising everything from common household goods to precious jewelry, fine antiques and ancient artifacts. While no one knows it all, we admit when something is beyond our expertise and routinely seek help from targeted research, experienced collectors, history enthusiasts and accredited professionals. Discovery IS fun!

Please “Contact Us” for a free visit, We CAN Help. Don’t worry about cleaning up before we come, we’ve already “seen it all, Really!” If you must, please discard only: generic packing materials, used modern underwear, soiled or badly damaged modern (1970′s +) clothing & furniture, leaking batteries, spoiled foods, prescription medications, dirt & debris. Don’t Throw Away Anything else without first consulting a professional in the business of Estate Liquidation, Antiques and/or Collectibles. Even items which are broken or in poor condition can have appeal and value if they fall into certain categories. Collectors, Crafters, Decorators, Dealers and Do-it-Yourself-ers often purchase things which appear to be completely un-sellable.

Our continued success depends on the seamless satisfaction of YOU (clients and customers too) !

Please visit our website (b-keen.com) or our Next Sale…

Thanks for your interest & TIME, Regards & B-Safe,

B-KEEN