Understanding Estate Liquidation in Maryland
A husband wanted to donate this painting because he thought it was ugly. Then we told him it was worth $300,000.
Estate liquidation in Maryland can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re navigating a loved one’s home filled with decades of belongings, memories, paperwork, and items of unknown value. Whether you’re handling an estate in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville, Takoma Park, or anywhere else in Montgomery County and beyond, the process can be emotionally and physically draining.
This guide breaks down the process clearly and simply so Maryland families can understand what estate liquidation really involves and why hiring a local, full-service company makes such a difference.
What Is Estate Liquidation?
Estate liquidation is a full-home clearing service that handles sorting, evaluating, removing everything in a home, selling, donating, recycling, and responsibly disposing of everything else. Unlike an estate sale — which takes place at your home and focuses mainly on selling items — estate liquidation addresses every part of the home. We sell what can be sold through a variety of off-site means, transport donations to charity, and haul away the trash. The goal is to quickly deliver a completely cleared, broom‑clean property so Maryland families can move forward with selling, settling, or preparing the home.
Orion’s Attic co-owners Won-ok Kim and Chris Lancette are here to help.
For a quick primer on the downsides of estate sales, check out our story on how an estate sale can go wrong from the first time an estate sale company visits your house. And check out this story on 13 disadvantages of estate sales. Like short but informative videos? Take a look at this short OrionsAtticTV YouTube video interview with a Realtor who brought us in after a family attempted an estate sale that backfired.
Who Needs Estate Liquidation in Maryland?
Estate liquidation is most common during major life transitions—settling a loved one’s estate, downsizing, moving into assisted living, relocating out of state, or preparing a long-time family home for sale. Many Maryland families turn to professionals when they need an entire home handled quickly, compassionately, and efficiently.
How Estate Liquidation Works (Step-by-Step)
While every Maryland home is unique, the process generally includes:
- Assessment: A walkthrough to understand the home and goals. We follow up with a written proposal for you to review. Once you hire us, get to work with steps 2 through 7 as we clear your home.
- Sorting: Identifying items worth selling, donating, recycling or keeping.
- Valuation: Spotting valuables — gold, silver, jewelry, coins, artwork, collectibles, and so much more.
- Selling: We use a variety of methods to sell your treasures. These include taking the items to national and local auction houses, selling to specialty dealers, direct sales. We offer consignment and direct purchase of items on certain occasions.
- Removal: Clearing all rooms, basements, attics, sheds, and garages.
- Donation and recycling: Prioritizing sustainable solutions to avoid landfill waste.
- Final broom‑clean: Leaving the home empty and ready for market, settlement, or renovation.
Orion’s Attic also provides bonded and insured moving services for moves within 800 miles. We also offer up to a 10 percent off the total charge when you hire us for your move and estate liquidation and home cleanout.
Need a deep cleaning at your house? We know just the right people to refer.
Why Hire a Professional Maryland Estate Liquidator?
Managing a home full of belongings in Maryland can be overwhelming—especially during grief or transition. A professional team handles the physical labor, decision-making, sorting, hauling, recycling, and cleanup. It prevents family conflict, saves weeks of time, and ensures valuable items are not mistakenly discarded.
Why Maryland Families Choose Orion’s Attic
Orion’s Attic is Montgomery County’s trusted full‑service estate liquidation and home cleanout company. We serve Maryland families in the following ways, among others.
Orion’s Attic sells your best stuff for good money — and does it quickly. (You get the money from those sales.) Here is a job we did in Takoma Park, Maryland in which a client paid us $5,000 to do the work and got back $140,000 in sales proceeds.
We’re working on a Rockville/Derwood project as we speak in which the client has paid us approximately $6,000 and should get back at least $120,000 by the time we’re done selling her deceased father’s gold coins and presidential autograph collection. In a house with less spectacular items, we helped a woman generate more than 1.5 times the money she paid us for a massive amount of work.
We clear everything in your home in a flash so you can move on to getting your house sold. (You get the stress relief.)
Our company partners with great Maryland nonprofits in Maryland to make meaningful donations. (You get the tax donation receipts.) Check out our Ellicott City YouTube video with Community Forklift about the impact donating appliances makes on the lives of people who need them. We’ve been working with and supporting A Wider Circle since our earliest days. Check out a story on a recent Silver Spring project in which our clients chose to let us donate a truckload of treasures to A Wider Circle
We implement our sustainable practices through our Green Choice philosophy. (We both get to feel good.)
Contact us today so we can remove your estate liquidation and home cleanout success.
Learn what you need to know about selling your home’s treasures in our Estate Liquidation and Downsizing Guide.
About Orion’s Attic
Orion’s Attic is a full-service estate liquidation, downsizing and home cleanout company based in Silver Spring, Maryland. We also buy antiques and collectibles. We serve the greater Washington, D.C./Maryland/Northern Virginia region. Our service area includes Montgomery County (Ashton, Aspen Hill, Barnesville, Bethesda, Boyds, Cabin John, Chevy Chase, Colesville, Derwood, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glen Echo, Laytonsville, Montgomery Village, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Silver Spring, Spencerville, Takoma Park, Wheaton, etc.), Frederick County, Howard County (Columbia, Ellicott City), Prince George’s County (College Park, Greenbelt, Hyattsville) plus DC and Northern Virginia. We will occasionally go further if a project is big enough.
