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March 2021 by Wendy Frosh
Fernwood Estate Sales did a fantastic job for us. Responsive, professional, thorough. There are many more positive things to say! They were just plain terrific.
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September 2020 by Frederick O.
Over the years I have gone to a number of Fernwood Sales and have been pleased with the fair prices one usually finds at their sales. This past weekend, with the added stress of COVID, Anne, Liz, and other members of the staff ensured that the numbers of shoppers in the home and within each room were limited to maintain everyone's safety, as much as possible, by enforcing social distancing. I was fortunate to also find two very nice, vintage sterling items in the showcase which were appropriately priced.
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August 2018 by Karen P.
We have purchased many items from Anne & Liz of Fernwood estate sales for 30 years and have nothing but the highest regard for their professionalism and integrity. Pieces are priced fairly and described with accuracy. They maintain a courteous staff and we hear nothing but favorable comments from other buyers that we know. We have recommended them to friends and other people in the DC Metropolitan area for having estate sales because we trust them implicitly. Their sales are organized, all items are priced and even when packed with clients, they are able to handle the transactions smoothly. They offer both buyers and sellers decades of experience and have the patience to tailor their services to individual needs. We look forward to shopping more sales. Karen & Lawrence
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March 2018 by Libre Mac
Fernwood is one of the best if not, the best Estate Sale in the Tri State Region.I am not sure why they get bad reviews but I have been their regular client for at least 10 years and they have been consistent in presentation, security, service and pricing. They understand the business well and easy to communicate.Yes! The Doorman may need to soften up a little but he is only doing his job.I can guarantee that 99% of their Clients were satisfied of the results of the sale and buyers were also happy. You can never go wrong with Fernwood.
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March 2018 by Ben Cheng
The bouncer at the door was extremely rude to us and quote "I don't give a damn".
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November 2017 by Lesley H.
Anne and Liz were amazing, and I feel I have to write my experience with them because it was so unusual and I think, most indicative of what kind of business they run and who they are. First off, having an estate sale is awful. It's especially hard for those of us who are emptying a loved one's house, such as my mother's. My father had already passed, so basically, everything the two of them had collected that my mother could fit in her house was here- a life time of things. However, after I picked the things I wanted to keep, I was turned down by a bigger estate sale company because they had a minimum I wouldn't make. Apparently, there wasn't a lot of high value things left- sterling silverware (not plated), two china sets, furniture, art, etc- made up only about $5-8K worth of things. This is hard to grasp- that things mom may have paid a lot for were not going to sell for what she paid for them - add to that the time pressure of needing to empty and sell a house, grieving over the situation, etc. I was facing paying a clean out service to just haul everything away, which made me cry to even think about- the things my mother and father collected were meaningful, and I wanted to honor my parents and the things they cared about by having them become meaningful to someone else. So, the first estate sale person recommended Fernwood. They came and were not only incredibly kind and understanding, they promised to do my sale for me even though it wasn't going to be the most lucrative. They spoke to me constantly, returned my calls, texts etc, and came by a few times to help set things up. But after 3 weeks of preparing, they told me that honestly, I would pay them $2500 - their minimum, and that they felt bad about it, and they would rather support me, and refer me the resources I needed to have the sale myself. They felt that taking the money would end up basically splitting the sale, and they didn't feel right about that. Their honesty and kindness through this entire sad experience really marked a high point of it. They referred a mover who is fantastic, and an assistant who was super friendly and very helpful as well; Good people referring good people. I just cannot recommend them highly enough. In one year of dealing with eldercare, elder moving, estate sales, house clean outs, I can say definitively that I have been descended upon by vultures in this painful and desperate place I have been in - every "elder" business has vultures ready to strip you of your funds to help you do one thing or another. Thank you Anne and Liz for being so kind!
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March 2016 by Kevin Webb
The Fernwood team staged and managed our Estate sale this past year. They did a great job for us as we downsized from our large home. I found knowledgeable of the market and their network of buyers and donation organizations were very accommodating. I recommend their services.
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March 2016 by I Articola
Went by an estate sale today and found out through an individual that was with me that they were cutting me down behind my back -- all three ladies that work for Fernwood Estate sales (Bethesda, Md) that were on site. They would NOT even negotiate on any prices. They seemed very miserable and unhappy!!This is very unprofessional & quite rude --to make fun of their own customers with sny jabbing remarks behind their back and whom are doing business with them!!!!
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October 2015 by robert H.
I've been to many Fernwood estate sales and they have always been fairly priced and very accommodating ! They have a reputation for having great estate sales and are very busy during the estate sales there a state sales are packed with people I enjoyed their sales very much!
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July 2015 by Michi P.
Just went to an estate sale by this company and it was awful. The items were all terribly overpriced ($500 for a fake-veneered short dresser without dovetailing, for example). The only payment methods were cash or check, and everything was laboriously written out indecipherably on a little notepad. There was a long wait just to pay. We wanted to get some scrap rubber mat rolls that were dirty and frayed, for which we might have paid $8, but which weren't priced. An old lady came over to assess and set the price, and she treated them like silk scarves and said $40. We just laughed and walked out. It was the worst estate sale I've been to and a huge waste of time. I downloaded the Yelp App just to write this review.
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March 2015 by Robin Gerber
We recently (3/2014) used Fernwood for a sale in Bethesda and it was one of the worst consumer experiences of my life! The mother in this mother-daughter team kept changing the terms, and when it was too late to find another company, I went to sign the contract and found that the fee was not 30%, as I was told over and over, but 30% OR $2500, whichever was greater. This had NOT been mentioned in all the conversations on the phone, or when she came to look at our goods. I agreed to pay $2000, knowing that we did not have a big sale. But other changed terms were to come. I was told that our only expense would be removing the unsold items, but suddenly after the sale I was told I had to pay $268 for a Washington Post ad! I had done a great deal of posting about the sale on my own on Craigslist, and would never have agreed to pay for an ad that I considered basically useless. After a very nasty phone conversation with Anne (the mother), her daughter agreed to remove that charge. Supposedly, all the terms were in the contract I signed, but I never received a counter-signed copy. Then I'm told that the total that the sale took in, after taxes, was EXACTLY $5000! Really?What are the odds that a houseful of large and small items would come out so exact? I had already moved out of state, so checking the receipts wasn't an option, nor was any verification offered. BEWARE! This is an unregulated industry. Get references, be sure you can check receipts and nail down all the terms like when you get your money (took a month for us), and use another company. I relied too much on good faith. Big mistake.
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August 2014 by Em E.
Been twice and l can't say enough good things about this company. Very well organize. Staff are attentive and pleasant. Liz is wonderful! Anne is nice and courteous. Until my next visit - Thank you!!! M
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April 2014 by Robin G.
We recently used Fernwood for a sale in Bethesda and it was one of the worst consumer experiences of my life! The mother in this mother-daughter team kept changing the terms, and when it was too late to find another company, I went to sign the contract and found that the fee was not 30%, as I was told over and over, but 30% OR $2500, whichever was greater. This had NOT been mentioned in all the conversations on the phone, or when she came to look at our goods. I agreed to pay $2000, knowing that we did not have a big sale. But other changed terms were to come. I was told that our only expense would be removing the unsold items, but suddenly after the sale I was told I had to pay $268 for a Washington Post ad! I had done a great deal of posting about the sale on my own on Craigslist, and would never have agreed to pay for an ad that I considered basically useless. After a very nasty phone conversation with Anne (the mother), her daughter agreed to remove that charge. Supposedly, all the terms were in the contract I signed, but I never received a counter-signed copy. Then I'm told that the total that the sale took in, after taxes, was EXACTLY $5000! Really?What are the odds that a houseful of large and small items would come out so exact? I had already moved out of state, so checking the receipts wasn't an option, nor was any verification offered. BEWARE! This is an unregulated industry. Get references, be sure you can check receipts and nail down all the terms like when you get your money (took a month for us), and use another company. I relied too much on good faith. Big mistake.
