Tom Hall Auctions has helped hundreds of families across the Lehigh Valley and northeast Pennsylvania settle estates, sell farms, liquidate businesses, and downsize homes — often selling both personal property and real estate in a single, coordinated process. The case studies below are real client results, including actual sale prices and bidder counts from recent auctions.
We are an Estate Executor and Power of Attorney’s best friend!
Most people don’t realize how much time, effort, and emotional strain it takes to settle an estate or help a family member downsize.
Consider Judy, whose mother recently passed away, naming her executor of the estate — and responsible for selling the entire contents of her mother’s home. The house was fully furnished with antiques, paintings, and jewelry that all needed a new home. Judy’s attorney recommended Tom Hall Auctions, who put an action plan in place: marketing all the personal property through an open, competitive online auction to achieve the highest possible price quickly. Once the sale concluded, the team arranged for a clean-out company to remove the remaining items.
With the house then empty but in need of updates, Tom Hall Auctions suggested a real estate auction — a fast, no-contingency sale that let Judy pick her own closing date without lifting a paintbrush. By choosing the auction method, Judy moved forward without the burden of ongoing home maintenance or a drawn-out sale process.
Tom Hall Auctions helps hundreds of individuals and families like Judy every year — downsizing homeowners, farmers with equipment and machinery to sell, small business owners, and lifelong collectors of everything from sporting equipment to fine art.
Real Stories from Real Clients
$415,000 Real Estate Auction — Center Valley, PA Estate Sale
A local attorney serving as executor for an estate in Center Valley contacted Tom Hall Auctions to sell a property along with its household items, furnishings, tools, and large machinery. The team conducted an online auction for all personal property, then coordinated with a clean-out company to prepare the real estate for a live on-site auction.
THE RESULT: The real estate auction attracted 17 registered bidders competing for the property, which sold for $415,000 — pleasing both the estate and the referring attorney.
$220,000 Home & Contents Auction — Selling It All in One Day
A woman who moved her mother into a nursing home needed to sell both the home and its contents. Tom Hall Auctions recommended a live on-site auction to sell the contents and the real estate together in a single day, with remaining items donated or cleaned out per the seller’s wishes.
THE RESULT: A respectable crowd of bidders turned out, and the real estate sold for $220,000 — roughly $20,000 above the family’s expectations.
She Thought He Was Nuts, Until We Sold Her Farm for Over $1 Million
We were contacted by a woman whose brother just passed away and she needed to sell a farm and the entire contents. We met her and her sons at the property to walk through and discuss what we saw. The home was full of interesting items including antiques, paintings, farm equipment and American Indian items. We knew they would attract a global or national audience, so we recommended an online auction to get the word out to serious buyers.
We got to work separating, cataloging and photographing the items. It is hard work, but marketing is a very important part of our process. Our database of 20,000+ serious buyers received several emails and social media notifications as bidding opened on our website. We also placed advertisements in local newspapers, as traditional forms of marketing should not be underestimated!
The sale was a success, with local, regional and national bidders competing for every piece of the action. In fact, it was such a success that her son suggested she hire our company to auction the real estate too. She thought he was nuts, but only because she was unfamiliar with the process of auctioning real estate, as many people are! But with her newfound trust in us, she was open to hearing more.
THE RESULT: Fast forward to auction day, more than 30 bidders arrived, each ready to buy the property as-is with no contingencies. AND make an immediate deposit of 10% and close within 45 day– a nice, clean, no-hassle sale. To her surprise, the property sold for $1,180,000!
There are Unexpected Perks of Doing it All
We were contacted by a husband and wife who were in the process of downsizing from their 4,000 square foot home. After an introductory call they hired us to assist with the sale of their antiques, artwork and furnishings. We ended up helping them clean out the house and assist with the move.
THE RESULT: The personal property auction went so well that they decided to sell the home at auction as well. Many registered bidders competed side by side for the property, which sold for $520,000.
We Understand When Selling is Painful
A man whose wife passed away called our office, she was a passionate collector of primitive furniture, stoneware and similar items. We immediately knew he had a deep and delicate attachment to her beloved collection, and keeping them any longer had become more difficult for him. He needed our help. We coordinated a time to pack and move the items back to our action gallery, then photographed and cataloged each piece for auction.
THE RESULT: The items were beloved by our network of buyers too! Due to our marketing, this auction received more than 25,000 views online, creating stiff competition between bidders and a favorable result for our client.
Large Equipment Sells Quickly
A large contracting company was closing their business and needed to sell all the equipment fast. We recommended conducting a live auction with online bidding. In this style of auction, bidders can bid in-person with the auctioneer, or follow along online in real-time. As with most auctions of this kind, certain items exceed expectations and others turn out to be good buys for the bidders.
THE RESULT: The end goal of selling everything quickly was achieved! The results were over $250,000 in sales in less than four hours.
Here is what our clients have to say about us!
“I had a great experience selling furniture through Tom Hall Auctions. I worked with Cathy. I found them to be completely professional. If you’ve ever sold anything online you know how much work it can be: photos, listing it, probably on multiple places, showing it. Meeting people at a neutral location to sell it. It wouldn’t have been a full time job for me with the furniture I wanted to sell.”
– David Zagnoli
“I would like to tell everyone dealing with Tom Hall Auctions, they could not have been better for me. They have the nicest people working for them. Catherine and Bill made my life so much easier. They walked me through the whole auction of my brother’s belongings, then we auctioned his house. Wow, I can’t thank them enough for everything they did. I recommend them 100%. It was so much of a pleasure having you take care of our furniture we could not use in our new condo. Your fees were most honest and I got more than expected going to auction.”
-Donna
“I couldn’t be more pleased with my family’s choice in selecting Tom Hall Auctions to liquidate my father-in-law’s sizable estate or antiques and collectibles. Catherine came out to visit the home and see the extensive collection of items we were tasked with selling and provided concrete answers to all our pressing questions. Any time I had to email her about something, she responded quickly.
In addition, the fine folks that help out with moving items are really nice and easy to get along with. They never once complained about the backbreaking work or hot conditions we had to endure to get the massive job done. And in the end, we were more than pleased with what we received for the items. My family put our full faith in Tom Hall Auctions and I’m happy we did. And we wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.”
– Amie Bentley
“On a scale of 0 – 10 (10 being the highest), I would rate Tom Hall Auctions a 15 over-all! From the time I first met Bill Hall and shook his hand, I knew I was dealing with a highly competent and caring person. The selling of the household treasures in their auction gallery and the sale of the real estate exceeded our expectations. Bill and Company were the very best experience in what was an extremely stressful and unusual situation. We will be looking forward to doing business with this fine company in the future.”
– LaRue
FAQ
How much does real estate sell for at auction in the Lehigh Valley?
Recent Tom Hall Auctions real estate auctions have sold for a wide range of prices, including a Center Valley estate that sold for $415,000 with 17 registered bidders, and a farm property that sold for $1,180,000 with more than 30 bidders competing.
Can Tom Hall Auctions sell both personal property and real estate for one estate?
Yes. Tom Hall Auctions regularly coordinates both in a single process — auctioning personal property first, then the real estate — as in several of the case studies above, where estates sold both the home’s contents and the property itself.
What happens to items that don’t fit the auction after a sale?
Tom Hall Auctions coordinates with a clean-out company to remove any remaining items after a sale, so the property is ready for its next step.
Does Tom Hall Auctions handle business liquidations?
Yes. In one case, a contracting company closing its business sold more than $250,000 in equipment in under four hours through a live auction with online bidding.
We can sell your home & everything in it!
After the sale of your home or property, we can also assist in selling the contents through our online auction process. We photograph, market and sell the items, then arrange a whole house cleanout at the close of our services.
