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DeCluttering Your Forest Hills Rental Property: Garage Sale Tips

Neighbors at a Forest Hills Garage Sale

If you plan to move to a new Forest Hills rental home soon or you just want to clear out some clutter, planning a garage sale is a profitable way to go! Garage sales are a wonderful way to get rid of extra items and make some extra cash simultaneously. But ensuring your garage sale is profitable takes a bit of advanced preparation and effort. To make your sale day go as smoothly as possible, here are a few tips you can follow.

Get Organized

The first step to holding up a successful garage sale is to decide what to sell. This step can feel overwhelming, especially if you tend to hold onto things for sentimental reasons. One way to find out more easily what to keep and what to sell is to ask questions about every item you own. For example, consider how often you use an item, what shape it’s in, and whether someone else would get more use out of it if you let it go. Then, collect all your garage sale items into a single area of your home or garage so that you do not have to look for them when the day arrives.

Price Items Correctly

The key to pricing garage sale items is to remember that you won’t be able to sell anything for the same price you originally bought or even for what you could buy online. Garage sale items should follow thrift store pricing, which is about one-third to a quarter of the original price. If you’re unsure, you can always do a quick Google search to check an item’s current value and price accordingly. Also, while people will want to haggle with you over the price, don’t artificially inflate your prices to try and get more. Garage sale shoppers will see right through that trick, and your sales will likely suffer as a result.

Advertise Effectively

One of the best methods to ensure your garage sale gets a lot of attention is to advertise effectively. That means promoting both online and using directional signs the right way. Once you choose a date and time for your garage sale, post a digital advertisement onto your community message board, social media, or your free local classifieds. Then you either buy some signs or get crafty with some poster board and markers and make some. You don’t need anything complicated: a simple “Garage Sale” with an arrow pointing in the right direction works perfectly. You’ll want to hang a sign on all major cross streets near your house and several more throughout the neighborhood. The more turns someone would need to make to get to your home from the main road, the more signs you’ll need.

Prepare Ahead of Time

The day before your garage sale, there are several things you should do to prepare for a successful event. For example, mark the prices on your sale items the day before, not while people are arriving to shop! It is also important that you have a money box or other container with enough change to break a few large bills and a good assortment of coins. If you plan to take payments electronically, have your information on hand and visible to shoppers.

On Garage Sale Day

A great strategy to make any garage sale go more smoothly is to enlist help. If possible, get friends or family members involved to help you set out your garage sale items, hang signs, and keep an eye on things if you need to take a break. Keep in mind that you have to sit down when you can and drink lots of water – it’s easy to become dehydrated when you are busy for hours. Keep your money box and other valuable items in a secure location, especially if your garage will be open during the sale. If you plan to have people coming into your garage (instead of just on the driveway), be sure to lock the doors to your house and keep a set of keys in your pocket.

Cleaning Up

After all, a successful garage sale includes the clean-up afterward. If your garage sale includes large or bulky items, make sure that you know what you will do with these items if they don’t sell. If you plan to donate your unsold items, big and small, it’s best to either plan to haul them away right after the sale ends or arrange for a local charity to pick them up. Also, be sure to take down all of your garage sale signs! Leaving them up is an environmental nuisance, and your neighbors won’t appreciate the mess.

 

Are you in the market for a new rental house? Give us a call to speak with one of our Forest Hills property managers! We have an excellent selection of quality rental properties available now; browse our listings on the site.

 

Originally published: April 2, 2021

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