Dave Hester Net Worth

What Is Dave Hester’s Net Worth?

If you enjoy watching Storage Wars, then you have come across Dave Hester. Besides being one of the leads in the show, he also runs his own business of thrift stores. Cumulatively, he has over 25 years of experience in the auctioneering sector.

With that in mind, he has an impressive net worth of $4 million as of January 2023. All this has been gained over time, including his appearances in different TV shows and his businesses as an auction hunter.

If you thought auctioneering is not a good sector to consider, then think again. You are often likely to get a nice return. We help you follow the life of Dave Hester to see how well he has earned his money, how he spends it, his family, and more.

Earnings Overview

Dave Hester has had an entrepreneurial mind for a long time. His net worth growth began with amassing a huge train collection in the 90s and then selling it over 5 years to end up with a small fortune.

From these proceeds, he would later set up a business including two shops, The Rags To Riches Thrift Store, Costa Mesa and the Newport Consignment Gallery.

That is how he entered the auction business. One of the most notable pieces he ever sold at that time was buying a painting for $150 from Jack Smith and selling for $150,000.

In the late 90s, his thrift shops made a lot of money and had an estimated value of $500K to $700K.

Being an auction hunter is just one way he made his money. We also saw him appear on the TV show Storage Wars. However, before that, he was mostly an auction hunter with a taste for exquisite collections.

Besides going to auctions, he would also make appearances on the A&E TV show. His love for the storage unit business came to him in 1992 when he started working with various companies to find and sell contents in storage containers.

Dave Hester also became a TV personality by being signed onto Storage Wars cast that was airing on A&E Networks.

Storage Wars came with a lot of success and attention that Hester needed to thrive. Undoubtedly, he made a lot of money from the show. He appeared on the TV show, making an average of $800,000 per season. Here is how it breaks down.

• Earning $25,000 per episode. Each season would have 26 episodes leaving him with at least $650,000 per season.
• He had access to a $124,500 expense account
• A $25,000 signing bonus
• $2,500 per month as part of travel expenses

With this kind of income, it is possible to be a millionaire within a couple of years in addition to income coming from his businesses.

His career at Storage Wars was still marred with a lot of controversies until, at some point, there were lawsuits. A good example is the involvement of Brandi Passante in a lawsuit where Hester claims that the show’s producers paid Brandi to get a breast enlargement to improve the show’s sex appeal.

Dave Hester also claimed that not all the treasures found in the storage units were authentic. He claims that the producers would strategically place some of the valuables in the units and request them back from the cast. So, all the finds were not always real.

Early Life

Dave Hester was born in Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, Oceanside, California on July 23, 1964. You may have noticed that he was born on a Marine corps base. This is because his father was in the military.

Not much information is available about his mother and father. However, we know that his father served in the military, and Dave often describes him as a hoarder. He would collect trains, which rubbed off on Dave too.

Dave did not go to college but rather decided to follow his father to auctions. His approach to collectables was different. Rather than hoarding them, he would flip them for a profit.

Hester grew up with one brother, but not much is shared about him, and they are also not on good terms.

Dave Hester went on to marry Donna Hester, and together they had a child called Dave Hester Jr. You may have seen him appearing on the show with Dave more often.

One thing about Hester, even with his controversies, he has managed to keep his private life from the screens ensuring his family gets the privacy it needs.

Career

Dave Hester has not had the usual career trajectory most people have. As young as 14, he was already buying tools from auctions around his area and selling them to various shops on the military base where he lived.

In the early 90s, Dave got into the storage unit business, where he would participate in their auctions. In 1992, Dave ended up being a licensed auctioneer.

Later, he would sell his father’s huge collection of trains to get enough money to start his business. The money was used to set up thrift and auction shops. The shops are still around even today.

Because of his business acumen, he was tapped to join the Storage Wars TV show. He cast alongside renowned auction hunters Dan Dotson, Darrell Sheets, Brandi Passante, Jarrod Schulz, and Barry Weiss.

The Storage Wars show had a slow start, but by the time it was in its second season, it was one of the most-watched shows on the A&E network.

His competitive persona would later lead to several disputes with some of the show’s producers. This would lead to his firing in 2012, but he would return to the show later in 2015.

2012 was not a good year for Dave as he would also get involved in a lawsuit with Trey Songz for the catchphrase “Yuuup.” As much as Dave has been recently allowed to trademark the phrase, Songz was already using it to make money, such as having it as part of clothing lines.

Here is a video on what happened to Dave Hester from Storage Wars.

How Does Dave Hester Spend His Money?

Dave has a lovely house in Westminister, CA. It is a city based in Northern Orange County. It is quite known for having several Vietnamese refugees. However, it is still a highly secure and pleasant place you can live in.

His house features two bathrooms and four bedrooms, offering up to 1,000 square feet of living space. The property has an estimated value of $841,800.

Dave owns a couple of cars too. This includes the usual vehicles to more exotic ones. Expect his collection to have trucks, sedans, and more.

Socials

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davehester_yuuup/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/davethemogul
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storagewarrior
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hester-06138b47/

Summary

Dave Hester has been an auction hunter his whole life. This has brought him quite a fortune to the point he now has a net worth of $4 million. This is a great net worth to accord him a great lifestyle. He enjoys going to different auctions hunting for the best deals. Also, he has appeared on the show Storage Wars, where he made most of his money.