Business or estate liquidations deserve a professional

Historic City News reporters have followed more than a few reports indicating that a number of St Johns County businesses have closed in recent months; some have been the victims of the depressed economy while others have followed the death of a key family member. Sadly, some have operated locally for two, or more, generations.

About seventy new businesses were licensed last month — a year from now, more than half will be out-of-business. Some business owners and their heirs are saying that they get victimized twice — once by the loss of income from the business closure, and again because they do not know how to liquidate the assets of a failed company.

“Any type of estate, business or personal, needs to be evaluated by a professional before anything is sold or given away,” Cory Mara, a Florida licensed auctioneer, told Historic City News this week. “It all starts with an asset appraisal by someone who is experienced and can be objective about the true value of your property. Private liquidations and auctions can quickly and fairly resolve estates — but they can be financially disastrous when not handled properly or by do-it-yourselfers.”

As a leader in the sale and resale of equipment and inventory, Mara says that he is uniquely positioned to provide accurate values on equipment, inventories, and complete businesses. Utilizing his in-house database, relationships with manufacturers and dealers, knowledge of the ever changing resale environment, and his staff’s ongoing education, he can give your assets an accurate valuation.

Mara, who has been licensed for over five years, said that he has conducted many auction sales, appraisals, and liquidations locally; including assets such as estates, office furniture and equipment, computers, manufacturing plants, machinery, retail stores, furniture, construction equipment, jewelry, and vehicles.

“When you have to close a family business, it can be really upsetting. That is not the time to be making decisions about your estate or business assets alone,” Mara explained. “I offer a staff of experienced personnel with over 20-years combined experience in auctions and appraisals; and, whether you are looking for a short or long term asset disposition solution, I can create an auction or liquidation program to meet your goals.”

Mara told Historic City News that he often finds that a closed business has multiple shareholders or family members that don’t always agree on what should be done with the remaining estate. The answer, Mara says, is a marketing program that includes local, national newspapers, trade publications, brochures, telemarketing, public relations, web sites, social media and direct advertising using proprietary mailing lists, to bring a maximum dollar return on assets.

Mara said that he provides his clients with sales tracking and accounting and handles collections, sales tax, and vehicle transfers. He also provides supervision of equipment, inventory removal, premises security, and cleanup. He will even volunteer his auction services, free of charge, for any charity fundraiser, nonprofit, or social event.

Want to see a professional estate auction?

Mara said he has a huge waterfront estate auction coming up on Saturday January 18th at 10:00 a.m. and Historic City News readers are invited to participate. Collectibles, loads of antique furniture, marble top console, occasional table from the Marge Carson Vouvray Collection, center accent table with marble top, Seth Thomas & Sons clock, hundreds of first edition books from the early 1800’s, wool and Persian rugs in excellent condition, and many other items are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The building that is on the property will be demolished and he will be selling its parts — including the air conditioning system, all of the appliances, the garage doors, and the interior doors.

To find out more, visit maraauctioneers.com or call:

Cory Mary, Licensed Auctioneer
Phone: 904-826-7833
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
License Number: AU3843