A house full of things. What now?
Selling the contents of a house, clearing your parents’ home or dealing with a relative’s property: most people have no idea where to start. Tell us what is there and where it is. We will look at it and tell you what still sells today and which approach makes the most sense in your situation. Antique dealer in Ghent, no obligation.
You do not need to know in advance whether there is anything special among it. That is exactly what we are there to find out.
Why people call us
Not everything old is valuable today
The market for old things has changed considerably over the past twenty years. Classic furniture, many dinner services, crystal, copperware, pianos and a large part of ordinary brocante fetch considerably less today than most people expect. Families often assume that the contents of a house will pay for the clearance. In many cases that is no longer true.
We would rather say so beforehand than afterwards. It does not mean there is nothing in your case. It means that “old” and “valuable” are no longer the same thing, and that the difference is rarely visible in whatever looks most expensive or most impressive. A heavy cabinet can be worthless and an unremarkable little box can be not.
What do we look at?
What something is worth today depends on several things at once: the age, the quality of the work, the maker, the material, the condition it is in, where it came from, and above all whether there is demand for it at this moment. That last point weighs more heavily than people think, and it shifts over the years.
That is why we look at a house as a whole rather than at a checklist. Among other things:
- Silver and table silver
- Paintings, drawings and prints
- Jewellery
- Furniture
- Bronzes and sculpture
- Design and twentieth-century decorative arts
- Porcelain, ceramics and glass
- Clocks and lighting
- Religious art
- Collections
- Books, coins and curiosities
Within each of those categories there are pieces that are worth the trouble and pieces that are not. So it does not follow that everything in such a category will fetch something, nor that nothing outside them can. Silver is our speciality; you will find pieces from our collection on this site.
What we ask above all: do not start selecting yourself on the basis of what you think is valuable. Let us look at the whole first.
We regularly see houses where the interesting pieces have already been given away and the heavy cabinets are still standing. What has gone, we can no longer assess. You do not need to sort, set aside or clear anything.
What we can do with a household
Take over a selection. The most common outcome. We buy the pieces that fall within our field and for which there is demand today. Whatever you want to keep, you keep.
Take over a larger part, or the whole. If there is enough there to make it worthwhile, we make a proposal for a large part or for the whole. One appointment, one price, and it is settled.
Tell you what is best done with the rest. Often the most useful part of the visit. Which pieces are better sent to auction, what a charity shop will still accept, what a clearance firm should take away, and in which order to go about it. If the house has to be completely empty, we will look at how that can be arranged.
How it works
- Get in touchTell us briefly about the situation and where the contents are. Through the form below or by telephone. A few sentences are enough.
- We come back to youWe look at your enquiry and may ask a few further questions. You will usually hear from us within the day. If we cannot do anything ourselves, we say so straight away, and we usually know someone who can help you further.
- If appropriate: an appointment on siteIf that first information gives us enough to go on, we arrange a visit. We then walk through the house together, from cellar to attic. If it lies outside East Flanders, we first consider whether the journey makes sense.
- A proposal or adviceWhat we can take over and for how much, what you are better off selling separately, and what fetches little today. Without obligation.
- Settling itIf you agree, we arrange when the pieces will be collected and how payment is handled. Clearly and in writing, with the pieces listed separately. For whatever remains, you will then know what the next step is.
And the property itself?
With an estate or a move to a care home it is rarely only about the contents. Usually something has to happen with the house as well, and the order of those two things makes a difference.
If the property is being sold, it helps to know when the estate agent is coming to photograph it, whether it will be shown furnished and by what date it has to be empty. Sometimes it is better to leave one room as it is, sometimes room has to be made first. If the property stays in the family or is let, there is often more time and it can be done more calmly.
That is why the form briefly asks what is planned for the property. It tells us straight away roughly what pace to reckon with. We will come back to the precise dates in the further contact.
Why us
More than thirty years in the trade. Emil Fonfoneata took over the family antique business near Sint-Jacobs in Ghent and specialised in silver. From 2005 to 2023 the shop was on the Belfortstraat. Today he works by appointment only, at the office in Ghent or at your home.
Accredited expert. Emil is an expert with Argus ArtExperts, the Belgian association of accredited art experts, founded in 1987. Argus experts work for private individuals, notaries, lawyers and insurance companies, among others.
A real assessment, not a price from a distance. The contents of a house cannot be judged from behind a desk. If we see enough reason to, someone who knows the trade comes and walks through the house.
We buy ourselves. What we take over, we buy and pay for on collection.
You hear the bad news too. If something is worth little, we say so. If something is worth more than you thought, we say that as well.
Discreet. The contents of a house almost always come out of a family situation. We do not talk to anyone about what we have seen.
Where we come
Our base is Ghent and we work mainly in East Flanders: Deinze, Eeklo, Lokeren, Aalst, Sint-Niklaas, Oudenaarde, Zottegem, Dendermonde and the municipalities in between. We are quickly on site there.
If there is something elsewhere in Flanders for which the journey looks worthwhile, we come as well. We will look at your enquiry first, so that we do not promise you an appointment that turns out to be of no use to anyone. In any case mention the municipality, and you will quickly know where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have my house cleared in exchange for the contents?
That depends entirely on the contents. The value of old furniture and household goods is often overestimated, and the cost of clearing, transport and disposal can be considerable. That exchange worked more often in the past than it does today. So we first look at what is there and what solution is realistic. We do not make promises in advance.
We think there is nothing special at our place. Is it still worth it?
Usually, yes. That judgement is hard to make from the inside: people live among their things for years and stop seeing what is there. Do get in touch. On the basis of your situation we first look at whether and how we can be of use.
Is old furniture still worth anything?
Often less than expected. Heavy oak and mahogany cabinets, classic dining rooms and lounge suites are difficult to sell today. There are exceptions: good design, notable makers, or pieces in exceptional condition. Which is precisely why it is worth having a look before you part with anything.
Do we have to sort or clear anything first?
No, and preferably not. Whatever has already been thrown out or given away, we can no longer assess. Leave standing what is standing, including what you consider worthless.
Do you buy complete household contents?
Sometimes. More often we buy a part and tell you what is best done with the rest. Which of the two it will be in your case, we only know after we have looked.
Do you also do the clearing yourselves?
We are not primarily a clearance firm. But we do not leave you with the problem: we first look at what is there, collect what we buy, and then help work out how the rest is best arranged, and with whom.
Are you a house-contents buyer?
Not in the usual sense. A buyer of that kind gives one price for everything and takes it away. We first look at what is there and tell you which pieces deserve to be handled separately and what does not matter.
How quickly does a house have to be empty after a death?
There is no legal deadline. In practice the situation sets the pace: a sale agreement, the end of a lease or the settlement of the estate. Do have a look taken before anything leaves; that is the only irreversible moment.
What happens to what you do not buy?
It stays yours. We do tell you what can still be done with it: to auction, to a charity shop, to a colleague, or cleared.
There are several heirs. Is that a problem?
It happens often. We work with whoever you appoint and put what we take over clearly in writing, with the pieces listed separately. That way everyone has the same overview.
Do the contents have to be declared in the estate?
Yes, movable property belongs in the declaration. Exactly what needs to happen is something to discuss with your notary. If you need a formal valuation, that is possible: Emil is an accredited expert with Argus. More about that on our page on appraisals and valuations.
Does it cost anything?
We look at your enquiry first. If a visit on site is appropriate, we arrange it together and there is no charge for it. For a formal valuation, for instance for an inheritance declaration or an insurance policy, different terms apply. We agree those in advance.
Do you always come and look on site?
Not automatically. We look at your enquiry first and ask a few further questions if needed. If we see enough reason to, we make an appointment. That way you do not lose time on a visit that would come to nothing, and neither do we.
Do you come outside East Flanders?
We can. We work from Ghent and are quickest on site in East Flanders, but for contents that are worth the trouble we come elsewhere in Flanders as well. Let us know what is there and in which municipality, and we will tell you honestly whether the journey makes sense.
What do I need to send to get started?
Nothing in particular. Your name, the municipality where it is and a few sentences about the situation are enough to start. If we need more, we will ask.
And if it is only one piece?
Then our page on buying and selling is the better place to look.
Vertel ons kort over uw situatie
Een paar zinnen volstaan om te beginnen. Hebben we meer nodig, dan nemen we contact op. Liever bellen? +32 476 80 87 23
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