One Home. One Plan.
Not Twelve Phone Calls.
The estate sale, the movers, the donations, the home sale — sequenced by one person, so nothing collides.
Clearing out a lifetime of belongings while getting a Marin home ready to list is not one job. It's a dozen — liquidators, haulers, cleaners, movers, repair crews — all needing to happen in the right order, on a clock. Michael Wayne Jackson runs the whole sequence as your single point of contact, so an overwhelming month becomes a calm checklist.
Or skip the form and call — (415) 483-6009
Real Families. Real 5-Star Outcomes.
Every review below is a real, verified client review pulled straight from Michael's Google, Yelp, and Zillow profiles — see them for yourself.
Great realtor, family man who made the home buying process seamless. Answered all questions, constantly stayed in communication and never pressured me into anything. I will definitely buy or sell with him again.
Mike helped us with the sale of our home and was very easy to work with. During a pandemic he stayed calm and worked very hard to get our house sold. You need someone to work hard and stay ahead of the game and Mike did just that for us.
One of the easiest houses I ever sold. He was very personable. There was never a time where he didn't get right back to me. No question was ever unanswered. Even though I live three hundred miles away, I would highly recommend Michael to anyone who needs a realtor.
If you need a senior real estate specialist, Michael Jackson is one of the most knowledgeable. He helped me with finding condos in Marin and went out of his way to find me an estate planner.
Working with Michael has been an absolute pleasure. He is professional and made sure he got us everything we were looking for. We found our forever home in less than a week and it closed in 30 days as promised. On top of that he sold our old home the same day it was listed!
Head and shoulders above the rest. Courteous, professional, prompt and knowledgeable. Day or night Mike Jackson was there to respond to every need we had and some we did not think of. Well done sir!
A Whole Life, All At Once
Whether you're downsizing a parent or settling an estate, the hardest part isn't any single task. It's that they all land on you in the same week.
Decades of "stuff" with no map
Forty years of furniture, dishes, paperwork and keepsakes. Half of it might be valuable, half might be landfill, and you have no idea which is which — or who to even call to find out.
Everything is on a clock
The assisted-living deposit is due. The mortgage or carrying costs keep running. If the estate is in probate, the cash can run out before the house ever closes. Delay is expensive in a way nobody warns you about.
Too many vendors, no referee
An estate-sale company. A junk hauler. Movers. A cleaner. A stager. A contractor. Each one points at the others, and you become the project manager for a job you've never done — during one of the hardest seasons of your life.
The regret is almost never about letting the house go. It's about doing it without a plan — and watching the proceeds, and the peace, leak out the gaps.
They Call Him "Action Jackson" For A Reason
Michael Wayne Jackson has spent 19+ years guiding Marin families through exactly this moment. He earned the nickname the honest way: he makes sure things get done correctly and on time, he doesn't wait for problems to find him, and he keeps a deal moving when everyone else is stuck.
His background is built for transitions like yours. A B.A. in Psychology from Sonoma State. A former minor-league ballplayer who reads pressure and competition the way few brokers can. And — most relevant here — he holds the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) designation, training built specifically around downsizing, estate sales, and helping older homeowners and their families move with dignity.
He already keeps a working team — contractor, painter, and a vetted bench of vendors — to make a listing presentable and win bidding wars. For an estate transition, that same network becomes your crew: liquidators, haulers, movers and cleaners, all conducted by one person who answers his own phone.
Talk it through: (415) 483-6009
From Overwhelm To One Checklist
A clear, sequenced path — so the estate sale, the move, and the home sale support each other instead of colliding.
Walk-through & triage
We go room by room and sort everything into keep, sell, donate, and remove. No pressure, no judgment — just a written plan so the family stops guessing about what's valuable and what isn't. Heirlooms and sentimental items are flagged and set aside first.
Match the right liquidator
Not every estate needs a full estate sale; some are better served by a buyout, an auction, or a charity haul. I bring in companies I have vetted myself, not names off an online directory, get you two or three consultations, and read the contracts so you understand the commission, the fees, and exactly when you get paid.
Sequence the calendar
This is the part nobody else manages. The sale, the donation pickup, the movers, the deep clean, the repairs and staging, and the listing date all get placed on one timeline so each crew arrives after the last one finishes — not on top of each other.
Empty house → market-ready
The day the last item leaves, the home doesn't sit empty and echoing. My crew steps in for cleaning, light repairs, and staging so it photographs beautifully — turning a cleared-out house into a listing that competes in the Marin market.
List, negotiate, close
Then I do the job I've done for 19+ years: price it right, market it hard, and negotiate as a Certified Negotiation Expert. One person carried it from the first overwhelming pile to the closing table.
You don't have to figure out the order of all this alone.
A free planning session maps the whole transition — what to sell, who to call, and in what sequence — before you commit to anything.
Book a Free Planning SessionThe Difference Is The Sequencing
An estate-sale company sells your things and leaves. A listing agent sells your house. Almost no one connects the two — that gap is where money and weeks disappear.
One call, one accountable person
You make one call and get one person who owns the outcome. No more playing middleman between a hauler who's late and a stager who's waiting. Michael holds the timeline so you don't have to.
A vetted network, not a coin flip
The estate-sale industry is essentially unregulated — anyone can print a business card. Michael brings companies he's worked with and watched perform, so you're not gambling on a stranger with your family's belongings.
The proceeds stay protected
Commissions on estate sales commonly run 35–45%, and a poorly-priced collection loses more than the commission ever costs. Michael helps you read contracts, flag the items worth an appraisal, and avoid the upfront-fee red flags.
The house never sits empty and cold
An empty, echoing house shows poorly and signals "distressed" to buyers. By sequencing the clear-out into staging, the home goes from cleared to camera-ready without a dead week in between.
A referee for the family
When siblings disagree on what to keep, sell, or what it's worth, a calm third party who isn't emotionally involved keeps the peace — and keeps the project moving. Psychology degree; not a coincidence.
Built for the time pressure
Assisted-living deadlines, probate burn rate, carrying costs — Michael plans around the clock that's actually ticking, so the transition finishes before the money or the patience runs out.
Two Ways To Do This. One Is Calmer.
The same house, the same belongings — handled two very different ways.
| The Reality | With Action Jackson | Doing It Piecemeal |
|---|---|---|
| Who manages the timeline | One coordinator owns the whole sequence | You, juggling five vendors at once |
| Choosing an estate-sale company | Vetted referrals + contracts reviewed with you | A name off an unregulated online directory |
| Gap between clear-out and listing | Staged straight into market-ready | Empty house sits and shows "distressed" |
| Protecting the proceeds | Items flagged for appraisal, fees scrutinized | Valuables under-priced, surprise fees |
| Family disagreements | A calm, neutral referee keeps the peace | Tension stalls everything for weeks |
| The home sale itself | 19+ years, CNE-level negotiation | A separate agent who never saw the back story |
What Families Actually Ask
Pulled from the questions people post online when they're standing in the middle of this exact situation.
Q.Should the estate sale happen before or after I sell the house?
Almost always before listing. Buyers respond to a clean, staged home, not one full of belongings or one sitting empty for weeks. The sweet spot is to clear out, then stage and photograph — which is exactly the sequence a coordinator protects so there's no dead gap.
Q.How much does an estate-sale company take?
Commissions commonly run roughly 35% to 45% of gross sales, and some add fees for cleanup, hauling, or advertising. The rate alone doesn't tell the story — a sharp company at 40% can net you more than a weak one at 35% through better pricing and a real buyer list. Anything demanding payment up front is a red flag.
Q.The estate is in probate. Can we even start?
Often, yes — once the court appoints the executor, the home can frequently be marketed during probate rather than after it closes. Probate can run anywhere from several months to well over a year, and a common, costly mistake is letting the estate's cash burn down before the house closes. This isn't legal advice; Michael coordinates alongside your attorney so timing works for everyone.
Q.My siblings and I don't agree on anything.
You're not unusual — dividing a parent's belongings is one of the most common flashpoints there is. A neutral coordinator who isn't emotionally invested can run a fair process (take-turns selection, a CMA for an honest value, clear documentation) that keeps the project moving and the family intact.
Q.What happens to whatever doesn't sell?
A good plan decides this before the sale, not after. Unsold items route to donation, consignment, or removal on a scheduled pickup, so the house is genuinely empty on the date your calendar needs it — not three weeks later when the movers are already booked.
Q.How do I know a liquidator is legitimate?
The industry is essentially unregulated, so vetting falls on you: get two or three consultations, ask how they price uncertain items and whether they bring in appraisers, and confirm in writing how fast you're paid after the sale (about 10 business days is reasonable). Or — let Michael bring companies he's already vetted.
Coordinating Across All Of Marin
From the Gerstle Park Victorians to the hillside homes above Novato — Michael knows the neighborhoods, the buyers, and the local vendor bench.
San Rafael
From Gerstle Park and Dominican to the homes around the Marin Civic Center — Michael's home turf and a frequent setting for longtime-family transitions.
Novato
San Marin, Pleasant Valley, and the neighborhoods near the Redwood corridor — close to Michael's Novato office on Redwood Blvd.
Mill Valley
Homes tucked beneath Mount Tamalpais where decades of belongings and serious buyer demand both run deep.
Larkspur & Greenbrae
From Larkspur's historic downtown to the homes near Bon Air — premium addresses that reward careful staging.
San Anselmo & Fairfax
Older, character-rich houses full of a lifetime's worth of things — the classic estate-coordination scenario.
Tiburon & Belvedere
High-value estates where pricing the contents and the home both demand a steady, experienced hand.
Corte Madera & Kentfield
Long-held family homes near the Bon Air shops and College of Marin — generations of belongings to sort with care.
Sausalito
Distinctive hillside homes with tricky logistics — exactly where coordinated sequencing earns its keep.
The House Is Handled. You Can Breathe Again.
Picture the last box gone, the home shining in the listing photos, and an offer on the table — all without a single week where you felt buried. The keepsakes that matter are safe with the family. The rest found new homes or did some good.
That's the whole point of coordination: you get to grieve, or celebrate, or simply rest — instead of becoming an unpaid project manager during one of life's heaviest chapters.
One Call. One Plan.
A Whole Lot Less Weight.
Book a free planning session and we'll walk through your situation — the belongings, the timeline, the house — and leave you with a clear, sequenced path forward. No obligation, no pressure.
Book a Free Planning SessionSources & Citations
The claims on this page about commissions, probate timing, and family dynamics are drawn from these references.
| # | Source | What It Informs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to Sell a Whole House of Stuff After a Death (AOL) | Estate-sale commission ranges (30–50%), payout timing, the "unregulated industry" warning, and upfront-fee red flags. |
| 2 | How Much Does the Average Estate Sale Make? (SmartAsset / Nasdaq) | Average gross sale figures and the ~35% commission/fee estimate; why under-pricing valuables hurts more than commission. |
| 3 | The Essential Guide to a Successful Estate Sale (Realtor.com via AOL) | 30–40% professional fee range and the basic mechanics of who plans and runs an estate sale. |
| 4 | Should I Sell a Probate Home Before, During or After? (Dolinski Group) | The estate "burn rate" risk — running out of cash before probate closes — and selling during probate to avoid disputes. |
| 5 | Can You Sell an Inherited House Before Probate? (Direct Express) | Typical 6–24 month probate timeline and that marketing can often begin before probate fully concludes. |
| 6 | Is There a Time Limit for an Executor to Sell a House? (HomeLight) | Executor authority and the absence of a fixed timeline for selling within probate. |
| 7 | 7 Tips for Getting Rid of Your Parents' Lifelong Possessions (LegalZoom) | Using appraisers for valuables, the role of senior move managers (NASMM), and reducing sibling conflict. |
| 8 | Avoiding Family Conflict When Selling a Parent's Home (Hays) | Neutral-party valuation (CMA), take-turns selection, and early family communication to prevent disputes. |
| 9 | Estate Sales and Downsizing: A Guide for Seniors (Care Indeed) | The room-by-room, keep/sell/donate triage approach and the emotional weight of downsizing. |
| 10 | How to Resolve Family Inheritance Conflicts (Empathy) | Why belongings trigger conflict and steps to mitigate it during estate settlement. |