One thing that often accompanies a move to a new home is getting rid of things you decide you no longer need. Some people throw everything straight out, others take bags of unwanted items to charity stores or drop points, and others endure the pain of the garage sale.
Amazingly, garage sales are becoming more and more popular amongst homeowners. Considering many are still finding the current economy a tad bumpy, many buyers and sellers are finding it makes better monetary sense to sell what they no longer want rather than throwing things out, giving stuff away, or paying to store unwanted items somewhere. I often find once you put something into storage you forget you have it anyway, and when the time comes to retrieve it you end up wondering what you were thinking when you decided to keep it.
I find the whole business of garage sales highly amusing, probably because I have never held one myself, and I'm sure if I did I wouldn't consider it so funny. Based on the horror stories that accompany many a yard sale, the chances of me venturing down this particular path of selling remains slim, and I'll stick to selling real estate I think.
From what I can gather, people always show up to garage sales earlier than you tell them to, and if you're not set up they're prepared to knock on your door and ask when you will be. Buyers criticise your stuff loudly to their companions to give themselves some haggling ammunition, and then bargain with you over items that are marked at $1.50. What I don't understand about that whole process is, if it's so bad, why would they want it at any price? As I said, the whole concept baffles me. But, I am clearly in the minority as holding and attending garage sales is big business and consumes many a person's weekend. With this in mind I thought it may be pertinent to provide a couple of small tips to make the process less horrendous than it already appears to be.
Firstly, treat your garage sale like any business exercise. You may think this is a silly notion, but it has merit. Check with your local council to make sure there are no restrictions or guidelines relating to garage sales so it doesn't get shut down. Check out your competition, too. If there are frequent sales around your area (apparently some people do this regularly!) go have a look so you can see how things are laid out, how they're run etc. If your neighbours are nice, they may even give you advice!
Secondly, figure out where you'll be holding the sale. This may sound like common sense, but if there's no clear indication of where your sale area begins and ends, you may find yourself fighting off people who take a shine to your incredibly new and expensive outdoor furniture.
Also spend some time considering what you actually want to sell. The more you have on display, the more people you're likely to attract and the more chance you have of getting rid of your stuff. Price some items cheaply to offset the more expensive things you're pitching, and make sure your price tags are clearly visible.
And finally, promote your sale! Even consider your local paper to attract your local hardcore sale attendees who leave and breathe these events. On that note, I'll be thinking of you as I sleep in past those 6.30am knocks on the door from the really eager buyers wondering why your stuff isn't out yet.
of Canada this summer, make sure you have lots of plastic sheets handy to throw over your goods and wares when that sudden thunderstorm arrives!