Have Successful Moving and Garage Sales

One way to help cut down on the sheer amount of movable items you'll have is to objectively look at your possessions, and to determine what you really want to keep. You'll be surprised at what you may find lurking in the back of the closet or in the attic that you no longer need or can use.

Old clothes, toys, furniture and many other items can be sold in Moving and Garage Sales or donated to any number of national or local charitable organizations. Here are a few tips for holding a successful moving or garage sale.

Give Yourself Time to Prepare for a Moving or Garage Sale

Successful Moving and Garage Sales are not held spur of the moment. You'll need time to organize, price and perhaps clean up the items you hope to sell. You should select a moving sale date well in advance, at least two to three weeks. Weekends and Friday afternoons are popular Moving and Garage Sale dates, but check the calendar to ensure your planned date doesn't conflict with a holiday, or special event in your community. If you know your neighbors well or have relatives nearby, you may wish to hold a joint sale with them. More sale items on display will attract more "drive by" customers to stop and shop.

Pricing Your Moving Sale Items

First-time moving | garage sale holders will often overprice their goods, for sentimental reasons, and less frequently, underprice items that may be collectable. Before you set your prices, you should visit other Moving and Garage Sales to get a feel for prices, and be realistic when pricing your items. (Try to resist the urge to buy new items at these sales.) You may also wish to review pricing on internet auction sites such as Ebay if you have an item that seems rare or collectable. After setting your prices, you should purchase self-adhesive or tie-on tags at dollar store or an office supply store and affix a tag to each item with the price clearly displayed. Ensure that the tags are firmly attached. If you are holding a joint garage sale, remember keep a log of items sold or mark price tags with seller's initials to ensure you fairly split the proceeds of the sale. Moving and Garage Sales tend to bring out the haggler in everyone, even the seller. Don't be offended if you find buyers hoping to bargain with you - its can be an enjoyable part of the sale. Hold firm if you're confident about selling your goods, but be prepared to come down in price if you really want to get rid of an item, especially as your moving sale comes to a close.

Advertise for Successful Moving and Garage Sales

Even on busy streets, you can't count on a driveway full of furniture and sales table to get traffic to stop. Ask your the Mark Hitz Realtor Team, Keller Williams Realty Northwest Agent about the availability of attractive, functional garage sale signs, or buy a few from a local hardware store. If local ordinances allow, you should put signs at busy corners to guide shoppers to your sale. When posting the signs, be sure to write the date, hours and address in the largest letters the sign can handle - if it can't be read in a few seconds, many drivers will miss it. Grocery stores, convenience stores, laundromats and other locations often allow shoppers to post Garage Sale notices, as well as schools and community centers. In some communities, sites like craigslist.org can be a good, free source for Garage Sale advertising. If you're selling a large number of items and hope for large proceeds, you may wish to buy advertising in a local paper. Be sure to compare the cost of the advertising with the likely sales income before you invest in an ad.

One of my clients used both Moving Sale and Garage Sale Signs (one with an address and the other with only a directional arrow) to attract more shoppers.

Recycling Signs. Another Client stopped by the city Code Enforcement office on a Monday morning and was allowed to get free confiscated garage sale signs out of the back of their pick up truck. They also learned the city garage sale code.

Success on Moving Sale Day

In the days before your moving sale, keep an eye on the weather forecast, and if absolutely necessary, reschedule it. On the day of your sale, ensure all your signs are up, and park your vehicles far from your driveway to allow parking for shoppers. It's usually a good practice to have a cash-only policy, unless the buyer is someone you know. If you are only accepting cash, you should note this prominently near the moving | garage sale sign in front of your house, and again near your sale items.

Ideally, three adult persons should supervise the sale - one person who enjoys haggling, answer questions and deal with shoppers, and one to handle the money and one for the unexpected issues and breaks. Don't forget that you'll need to take breaks from time to time, and ensure that you have a place to sit down and rest.

Moving Sale Cash

Keep a close eye on your money or someone else will. Store money in a fanny pack or something easy to keep on your person at all times. A cash box left on a table is just inviting trouble. Depending upon the number of items you have for sale and your pricing, you'll need a varying amount of change (including a roll of quarters). Ensure you have a good supply of $1, $5, $10 bills. While $50 in ones should be enough, you may wish to have more on hand.

Home Security

Security should be discussed before the moving or garage sale. You are encouraging and inviting strangers to come on your property. Consider these things: Are there any tripping or safety hazards you need to deal with? People steal stuff and moving / garage sales are prime targets. Are you going to stop a 50 cent item shoplifter or just let it go? (A: let it go). If it is an outdoor yard \ garage area only sale, keep the doors to your home locked and carry a key. Even the door from your garage into your laundry room. How are you going to handle requests to use your bathroom? (your third person escort?) Where do you put the $50 and $100 Bills? If you hold an indoor moving sale with larger furniture involved, how are you going to keep people out of the private areas of your home?

Protect Your Physical Safety

Plan ahead so you don't hurt yourself. You will be using muscles you forgot you had. Decide before hand: will you help people carry furniture and load it into their vehicles?

3 Moving Tools You Wish You Owned

Use home movers tools to keep yourself safe and to move heavier objects out to the sale area. There are three inexpensive moving tools you should consider buying and using during your move process including the moving sale.

Number 1. Furniture Sliders are inexpensive and they work great for moving more than just furniture. $6 - $10. White plastic for carpeted floors and concrete. Use felt bottom sliders for hardwood surfaces as the plastic ones can scratch. Furniture Sliders are sold everywhere: Target, Wal-mart, Home Depot, Big Lots, Ace Hardware, Kroger.

Number 2. Own a 4 Wheeled Furniture Dolly. I bought one for $19.99 from Lowes or Home Depot and have used it to move all sorts of things. They are rated to hold from 1000 to 3000 pounds. Hangs easily on a garage wall for storage. The carpeted base protects furniture and keeps things from slipping off. Use it to move heavy boxes.

Number 3. Own a Platform Cart or Dual Convertible Hand Truck. If you want a Tim The Toolman Taylor Industrial Model, rent one. The "home use" ones are light weight, fold for storage and are much less expensive, although you might need to shop around. From $40 to $100. I bought mine at Sams Club.

People like the dual or convertible hand cart because it can be used either as a two wheeled dolly or as a four wheeled cart.

Work with the Mark Hitz Realtor Team, Keller Williams Realty Northwest to Relocate, Buy or Sell a Far North Dallas Texas Suburbs Home

If you are thinking of moving, relocating, buying or selling a home, or just want to talk with an expert Real Estate Agent with detailed knowledge of the Current Far North Dallas Texas Suburbs Real Estate Market including The Colony TX, Little Elm TX, Frisco TX, homes for sale or any of the communities listed below, please feel free to contact us. Simply call us at 214-514-1800, or e-mail us. We'll be glad to talk with you about home relocation, moving and storage concerns, and help you in all of your Far North Dallas Texas Suburbs Real Estate needs.

About Our Moving and Storage Guides

Moving and storage commentary on this website is provided in a Keller Williams Realty Northwest advisory capacity for clients and customers. Our mention of specific movers, storage or related businesses is not rock solid endorsement by the Mark Hitz Realtor Team of their services nor should any moving or storage decisions be made soley based upon the information contained on this website. Links to any external movers, storage or related websites are provided as resources to assist relocating home buyers and sellers in their moving process. Our personal goal is to provide unique useful insight, opinion and information to potential relocating home buyers and home sellers interested in the Far North Dallas communities of Denton County and Collin County Texas. We encourage you to call Mark Hitz, Local Realtor® Keller Williams Realty Northwest at 214-514-1800 with any specific relocation, moving or storage questions you might have if you currently do not have a written agreement with another Texas real estate agent.

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