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Have you ever hosted a yard sale with dismal sales? You made a dollar per hour for your efforts. No fun.

Last weekend, I hosted a garage sale with my brother, my ex-wife, and my girlfriend. It was a raging success. We cleared out tons of stuff, and we netted over $2500 in the process.

I’ve hosted many yard sales over the years (and shopped at dozens more) and have developed some strong opinions about what works best. I’ve heard people complain that garage sales aren’t worth the time. But they can be quite profitable if you do a few simple things.


Happy customers browsing our sale…

Yard Sale Tip Sections

  • With so many tips, we divided them into ten main sections that cover all the aspects of hosting a yard sale.
  • If the subject was too large, we broke the main section down into sub-sections to highlight specific topics. Click on any of the hyperlinks to go immediately to that section or sub-section.
  • Yard Sale tips we consider essential are marked with a happy star ?. But don’t ignore the other tips! They’re all important to know.

Define Your Goal

The kind of event you hold depends on what you’re trying to accomplish, and it’s usually one of two things:

  • Get rid of stuff (fast) or …
  • Make as much money as possible.

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Scheduling Your Sale

Take Advantage of Different Seasons

Whether you’re trying to get the most money for your things or to sell them as quickly as possible, consider how timing can affect your choice of location, what you sell, how you advertise, and even how often you schedule yard sales.

For example, if you’re moving and you can’t take it with you, a yard sale is the perfect solution. But you may also be up against some tight deadlines that complicate things. How do you make it work in February, or if you only have a weekend, or you won’t have anyone to help you?

On the other hand, if you have a lot of time, you can maximize your result by scheduling a few events that target special or seasonal items. What should you know about merchandising to get the best price?

Depending on your area, you may find that one-day sales are more beneficial. Experiment with which day is best. Maybe a Thursday afternoon/Friday combination is great, or just Fridays.

? You may think it’s best to schedule a yard sale in the summer months, but it’s possible to have a successful yard sale any time of year. In fact, you might even be able to capitalize on the fact that it’s February or November and there aren’t as many yard sales. Think about the pros and cons of each season.

Springtime

Advantages:

In northern climates, a yard sale in spring is an invitation to spend money after being cooped up all winter. There’s an air of optimism that could boost how much you’re able to sell.

Disadvantages:

Weather patterns are often unpredictable, and that could affect turnout. Pay particular attention to location and logistics. Shelter is critical to protect your merchandise and keep customers happy despite conditions.

Advertising:

Be clear about how rainy weather will affect the hours of your sale.

Good Items to Sell:

  • Sports equipment
  • Camping gear
  • Gardening tools
  • High-quality children’s clothing
  • Patio furniture

Summertime

Advantages:

The hot, sunny, lazy days of summer make it easier to attract a throng and hopefully increase sales. And since the days are longer, you may only need a single day to sell all your items.

Disadvantages:

Heat and humidity are concerns in summer, so it’s important to provide shade and a place for customers to sit.

Advertising:

It’s even more important to differentiate yourself in advertising. Find your hook free ice water, a kiddie pool, a neighborhood back-to-school sale.

Good Items to Sell:

  • Back-to-school clothes
  • Furniture and household goods for dorms/apartments
  • Outdoor toys bikes, camping gear
  • Books (especially children’s books)
  • Electronics

Autumn

Advantages:

Fall still offers pleasant weather, but the most hard-core (read: negotiate-like-crazy) customers are burned out.

Disadvantages:

Depending on your area, wind and weather patterns can be unstable. That doesn’t usually affect turnout, but it’s another reason to protect your merchandise.

Advertising:

Your customers may be looking for, or college students may need, your furniture and household goods to furnish dorms or apartments. Highlight these items in your advertising, as well. Maybe even title your sale as a Back-to-school yard sale!

Good Items to Sell:

  • Winter items
  • Exercise gear
  • Picture frames
  • Holiday decorations
  • Collectibles

Wintertime

Advantages:

In the lower latitudes, winter yard sales may continue on just as they do in the fall. Not so in the cold climate of the higher latitudes. Still, motivated buyers find motivated sellers in the winter months too. The winter months may be the best time to find bargain-hunters.

Disadvantages:

In winter, location and logistics are critical. A community or church hall may offer the best environment for a yard sale if they will work with you. Even a storage facility may permit a yard sale on their grounds if you’re a customer.

Advertising:

Give clear directions for parking and how to access any buildings.

Good Items to Sell:

  • Space heaters
  • Firewood
  • Tools
  • Furniture
  • Clean linens and blankets

Merchandise

With yard sales, word gets around. So stock your sale with lots of stuff to pull the biggest crowds and generate buzz.

  • Locate and sell anything you no longer want or need. Aaron LaPedis, author of The Garage Sale Millionaire, suggests taking an inventory of all of your possessions in order to determine what you should sell and what you should keep. “Make sure you go through your house top to bottom — every closet, drawer, nook, and cranny,” says LaPedis. “Nothing is too small or too big to sell.” And make sure you have enough stuff.
  • ? Don’t base what you sell on what you would buy. You never know if someone likes to fix broken things or is looking for materials for an art project. If it’s something you don’t want and it’s safe, put it in your garage sale.
  • Offer to sell stuff for family and friends. Ask around to see if anyone has big-ticket items to sell. Not only does this help them, it also could potentially draw more customers to your sale.
  • Look beyond household stuff as your merchandise. Do you have plant starts you could pot and sell? How about leftover building or landscape materials?
  • Take the time to wipe off the dust and dirt. Clean stuff sells better. Period.

Differentiate!

All garage sales are basically the same. Find a way to set yours apart, whether it’s by theme, price, scale, or amenities. Last weekend, for instance, I billed ours as a “geek garage sale”, and emphasized that I had graphic novels, board games, and computer gear. My Craigslist ad brought folks from far and wide because of this. They bought the geeky stuff, but they also bought kitchen gadgets and yard art and clothing.

  • Label your sale. Lots of graphic novels, board games, and computer gear? Bill it as a “geek yard sale.” We did this last weekend and my Craigslist ad brought folks from far and wide because of this. They bought the geeky stuff, but they also bought kitchen gadgets and yard art and clothing.
  • Free delivery! If you have several large items to sell, another way to differentiate yourself is to find a couple of volunteers with trucks who wouldn’t mind delivering items — for free — after the sale.
  • Partner with your neighbors! Neighborhood garage sales attract tons more customers, so talk to your neighbors and spread the word ahead of time to arrange multiple sales. Find out what your neighbors are selling and offer to refer your customers to them. Or, better yet, hold your garage sale during an established entire-neighborhood garage sale day.
  • Offer free lemonade, cookies, or even just ice water. Most garage sales are held on hot days so a jug of watery lemonade or refreshing ice water is a nice gift for your customers. Don’t forget that visiting pets get thirsty too.
  • Engage the customers. Be friendly. Chat up the people who stop by. Be engaging. When parents with young children visit, I always find something to give the kids for free (often it’s whatever they’ve gravitated toward). I also throw in freebies for folks who buy lots of Stuff. This builds goodwill, especially among the other customers who are watching things transpire. I believe we sold more because Kim and Kris and I were friendly and fun.

Advertising

Getting the word out about your sale is critical to your success. In the old days, advertising meant sticking an ad in the newspaper, which would normally cost around $20. Newspapers may still be useful today, but other (free!) methods exist.

Here’s how to advertise to get more customers today.

Neighborhood Publications:

If you’re hosting a yard sale along with others in your neighborhood, check if they publish the yard sales. This may be free or cost a nominal fee.

Craigslist:

To get the most value from a Craigslist ad…

  • Advertise the date and location of your sale.
  • Add pictures and descriptions of the nicer items.
  • ? Put up ads for the most valuable things in their respective categories on Craigslist. Some people might not be browsing in the garage sale section but might see your ad for the table set in the furniture section and come to the sale for it and more stuff.
  • Once it sells, delete that listing immediately as a courtesy.

Make your Sale Shareable. Social Media is your Friend:

?Facebook, Twitter, Instagram use them! The entire week before the sale, post on social media about your merchandise. Include pictures. During the day of the sale, update your status or tweet on what you still have available.

Nine Tips to Make your Signs Sizzle!

Your goal is to get as much traffic as possible. If your signs are unclear or difficult to read, people won’t waste their time, especially if there are dozens of yard sales to choose from. Simple is best!

I’m shocked at how ineffective most garage sale signs are. It’s like people don’t care, or as if they don’t spend twenty seconds putting themselves in the shoes of their customers. Keep signs clean and neat. Make sure everything’s legible. Make sure nothing’s ambiguous. Clear signage is worth its weight in gold. Our signs included the address, the date and time of the sale, and an arrow pointing the way. I hung a dozen of them along the major traffic roads in the area, funneling people onto our street.


Our signs also had the address and an arrow pointing the way…

Design to inform and intrigue

  1. Use bright colors to attract attention.
  2. Use a thick marker of a contrasting color to make big, bold text.
  3. Adding a border around your text may increase readability. Remember that your customers are cruising by at 35 miles per hour!
  4. Have large arrows pointing in the correct direction. It’s so much easier to follow arrows than to slow down to read an address.
  5. Remember that superlatives rule Awesome! Blowout! Epic!

Where’s your sign?

  1. Post multiple signs around your neighborhood.
  2. Place signs at nearby major intersections and at each turn along the way.
  3. Also, take a practice drive past one of your signs. Do people have time to read it, make a decision, and make the turn, before they’ve driven past it?
  4. After the sale is over, remove all the signs!

Supplies

The right supplies can make your sale run more smoothly. So as you get closer to the big day, gather everything you need.

  1. Borrow tables and shelves to display your merchandise. Having a check-out table can be helpful. It helps people know exactly where to go to ask a question, and placing the table near the exit allows you to welcome people in while watching that they don’t walk off with anything.
  2. ? Apron or fanny pack for the money. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.
  3. Markers, scissors, masking tape, price stickers, and poster board. As you change prices throughout the day, you’ll use these items. Also, use these supplies to mark items that are NOT for sale.
  4. Paper/pencil. Use this as a ledger to jot down a description of each item and how much you sold it for or to place stickers on a page for each seller. (This can help make it easier to settle up after the sale if you have a neighborhood event.)
  5. Calculator. Having a calculator will expedite your checkout line and make it easier if you’re not especially gifted at math!
  6. Batteries. Keep an assortment of batteries on hand so that a prospective buyer can test that old Nintendo Gameboy for himself.
  7. Extension cords. If you are selling electrical items, make sure you have an extension cord handy or display these items near a plug so people can test them.
  8. Bags/boxes for customer purchases. Collect free bags/boxes before your sale so your customers can haul away their purchases.
  9. Hangers and a method to hang clothes. Searching through hanging clothes is much easier than pawing through a table covered with clothes.
  10. Plenty of cash. Get two rolls of quarters, a stack of 50 $1 bills, 10 $5 bills, and 5 $10 bills. Do it two days before the sale so that, if you forget, you can still get the change on the day before.

Pricing

Know your purpose. “There are two types of garage sales,” an old man told me last weekend. “One is to make money. The other is to get rid of Stuff.” Know which type of sale you’re holding and why. Your purpose will affect how much you negotiate and how much you give away for free.

As mentioned above, be clear on the purpose of your sale. Are you selling things to make money or to get rid of them? This question affects everything you do, from how you price things to how willing you are to negotiate. Surprisingly, you can often make more money (and get rid of more junk) by pricing things low. (If your goal is to get top dollar, you should really be selling on eBay or Craigslist.)

Oh, and lose your sentimental attachment. Unfortunately, no one cares how much you paid for an item or how many memories are attached to it. It’s a sunk-cost. They just want a bargain!

How to Establish Price

Know the value of your items. By doing some research on eBay or Craigslist, you might discover that some of your items are worth way more than you thought. However, this does not mean you should actually charge those prices. By attending yard sales yourself, you’ll have a general idea of what an acceptable price is. Also, you’re probably safe by pricing things somewhat below what the area thrift stores charge.

  1. Don’t price your stuff too low. People like to bargain, so allow some wiggle room. Also, you want to make money. You can always have a 50-percent-off sale over the last couple hours.
  2. Price items like a store. If you have a lot of something, “Buy 3, get 1 free” works really well.
  3. Other pricing strategies. Fill this box for $10 or fill this bag for $5. Anything not valuable can go on tables dedicated to that and you will get rid of all sorts of stuff that people might not buy individually but might stuff in a box.

To Price or not to Price.

Pricing items is a pain, no question.

  • Some people find it more profitable not to price anything because customers are turned off if the price is too high.
  • However, most customers prefer priced items, if only as a starting point for haggling.
  • Opting for a hybrid approach may require pricing larger items, or grouping like items on a table and then placing a sign on the table for the prices.
  • You can also place anything worth less than $5 or $10 on a table with a note to make an offer.
  • Another innovative approach is to mark by colored stickers only and having a master price list or two. As the day goes on, you can easily change the master price lists without changing prices on the individual items.

Be Willing to Bargain, but be Less Flexible at the Start.

If you just want to get rid of your stuff, you probably won’t mind haggling over anything.

But if you’re interested to make some money for your efforts, don’t haggle over a low-priced item or two. If your customers buy several things, cut them a deal.

Also don’t cut prices by much the morning of the sale, unless they are buying a ton of stuff. Tell them that you’ll cut prices a couple of hours before the end of the sale, and if they’re willing to take the chance, they can come back later. Or offer to take their phone number, and say “I’m sorry, but I’m not comfortable selling it at that price. Would you like me to call you if it’s still here at the end of the day?”

By the end of the sale, it’s best to practically give things away rather than face the prospect of having to deal with it later.

Staging

Too many garage sales are a haphazard collection of Stuff piled every which way. Don’t be like that. Take lessons from supermarkets and department stores. “Organize things so they’ll catch the shopper’s eye,” Kris says. “And don’t have depressing music playing.” (At the start of the sale, I had some New Age music on the stereo. “It sounds like a funeral,” she told me. She had me put on Elton John’s greatest hits instead, and people loved it. Sales improved!)

If you really want more bang for your buck, borrow from the big retailers’ playbook for how to display your merchandise.

  1. Prepare your window display. How do regular stores get people to stop in? By creating intriguing/beautiful/interesting window displays. You won’t have window displays but use the concept. You can lure more customers by placing highly-desirable items near the road.
  2. Move your customers to the right. For whatever reason, shoppers prefer to move through stores counter-clockwise. To get your customers to do the same, you can set up a table with free lemonade to the right, or display good items (but probably not the most expensive), or colorful, items to the right. You may want to place your most expensive/desirable items in the back of the garage, on the wall. As long as your customers can see these items from the garage door, they will walk past all your other items first.
  3. Display items to their advantage. Too many garage sales are a haphazard collection of stuff piled every which way. Customers want bargains with the feel of a store. Put the highest value items at eye level or clearly marked on a high-value table. Organize things so they’ll catch the shopper’s eye. Hang up clothes, sorted by size, with the sizes clearly labeled.
  4. Slow your customers down. Instead of lining your garage with long tables, consider staggering them in such a way that your customers slow down — without creating bottlenecks, of course.
  5. Make it cohesive. Establish themes. While you can group like items together, also consider grouping items of the same color, or by theme. One theme could be music: Gather old instruments, CDs, and old speakers together.
  6. Shed a little light. Lighting is important in big box stores, and it’s just as important at your yard sale. Make sure all light bulbs are working in the garage. Consider setting up table lamps and white Christmas lights to brighten the atmosphere.
  7. Promote expensive items. Big-ticket items can be tough to sell, but you can do it with a little extra effort. For example, if you have a digital camera to sell, gather all the bits and pieces and place them together on a table along with a printout of the Amazon page for the camera.
  8. Think like a customer. As soon as you’ve opened and fielded the initial flood of shoppers, walk through your sale as if you were there to buy something. How does it feel? Are things clearly marked? Is it easy to move around? Visualize any potential bottleneck areas. Are your books on the ground in boxes or are they placed neatly on shelves and tables? As things sell, move items around to fill in the gaps.
  9. Make it easy for shoppers to test electronic items. If it is a sound or video electrical item, take a retailing idea from the pros and set it up to play. A TV that is playing will sell much better than one that is off. This is also true of sound electronics. Play videos on TV. People will start watching and ask to buy the video.
  10. Create visual interest. While you want all the customers to see into your garage clearly, don’t forget that staggering items at various heights along your garage walls creates visual interest and allows better visualization.
  11. Display impulse purchases. Wherever customers check out, conspicuously place inexpensive, fun items.
  12. Have a box of free stuff. Nothing is more fun than finding something for nothing, so place a large, well-marked “FREE” box close to the curb. Mention the free box on the main Craigslist ad and place an individual Craigslist listing in the Free category.
  13. Complementary items. Have a pile of complimentary items and let buyers pick one item to go with each purchase. It could be any old junk, but people will love getting a freebie.
  14. Set up a lemonade stand. Instead of giving away free lemonade, your child can sell lemonade — and make her own money!
  15. Be the Pinterest of yard sales. Your customers may think something looks cool, but they aren’t really sure how they’ll use it. Consider displaying some of your merchandise on furniture you have for sale. By displaying the item in an interesting way, or even printing out some craft projects you found on Pinterest, you may inspire your customer to take the treasure home.

Avoiding Problems

The Early Birds.

Warn in your ads that “early birds pay double.” Otherwise, you’ll be stuck fumbling for change and entertaining these folks rather than getting your items ready. Or if you don’t want early birds to show up, don’t put your entire address in your ad. Then, just before you open, put out the signs and open the garage door. And don’t take money (meaning, no sales) until you are ready.

Future Burglars.

Unless you personally know them, don’t allow anyone in your house. If they ask for a bathroom, direct them to the closest public restroom.

Do NOT Use a Cash Box.

Carry your money on you at ALL times. You don’t want to present a target for casual thieves. More than that, you don’t want to be duped by professional swindlers who run distraction con games. It happens. It is devastating to see the profits from all your labor and the proceeds from your hard-to-part-with items vanish in an instant. This happened to a woman on our street on the last day of the sale last year. Do NOT use a cash box. I use a cheap cloth apron/utility belt from the local hardware store. It works beautifully. Some people use fanny pack or a zippered bank deposit pouch.

Don’t Bad-Mouth your Items.

A decade ago, Kris and I held a garage sale with a group of friends. One guy constantly told customers what was wrong with the items they were purchasing. “Oh, that book is awful. That’s a terrible movie. That skillet doesn’t heat very well. That game is boring. Needless to say, we sent this friend inside to drink beer ASAP. Your goal is to sell the items. Don’t lie — just emphasize the positives. Oh, that book is very popular. That movie won three Oscars. That skillet is great for pancakes. That game is fun for kids.

The Hostess with the Mostest.

If having a group yard sale, pick the best location in terms of traffic or accessibility or parking (and don’t forget to clear parking spots on the big day for customers). Offer the host a bonus such as a percent of the sale or a hosting fee. Also, go over ground rules such as the bargaining policy, etc.

(If you have an option to select the home where the sale is hosted, select a home with a shaded drive, if possible.)

Wrapping It Up

Have a plan for what you’ll do with your unsold merchandise.

  • Some non-profits will pick up unsold stuff, so research this ahead of time.
  • If you are going to drop anything off at a thrift store, know their drop-off times/days. Also, check to see if there are any limitations on what they accept.
  • Post on the local freecycle (www.freecycle.org) that, after a certain time, whatever is left is free for the taking — and remember to include your address. If you’re lucky, people will schlepp it away for you!


Even after years of purging, I still have too many books…

We’d only intended for ours to be a two-day sale, but we did so well that we decided to open Sunday too. This time, we re-branded. Because we still had shelves filled with classics, graphic novels, and photography manuals, we billed ourselves as a “book sale”. Surprisingly, this still brought folks in. Traffic was much lighter than previous days, but we still cleared $400.

In the end, we sold $2,454.90 worth of Stuff. Kim and Kris and Jeff didn’t do as well as I did — none of them spent a lifetime making foolish financial choices and “collecting” books and records and comics and other toys — but everyone seemed happy with the money they earned. And as for me? After years of battles, I think I’ve finally won the war on Stuff!

A great yard sale begins with a great plan. What are your best yard sale tips?

Source: getrichslowly.org

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Leaving Las Vegas? Kerry King, at least, appears to be heading out.

The co-founder and co-lead guitarist for heavy-metal band Slayer has listed his ultramodern, boxy mansion in Sin City.

King picked up the primo property brand-new in 2020 for $3,819,000, and now he’s asking $4,299,000 for the place.

This 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bath, contemporary dwelling is certainly unusual to behold.

Built in 2020

(Realtor.com)

Living room

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Dining room

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Kitchen

(Realtor.com)

Australian photographer Peter Lik, who has ventured into real estate, oversaw the incredible details of this custom-built manse. There’s a beautiful floating staircase, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, gorgeous wood floors, and clean lines at every turn. Each room offers access to the sunny backyard and pool, via glass pocket doors.

Exterior shutters welcome fresh breezes into the house, which is especially delightful in the hot, Southwestern climate. But it gets chilly in the desert sometimes, so the fireplace in the primary bedroom suite comes in handy. And the adjacent bathroom is nearly unbelievable, with its massive vanity and a sculptural tub that sits in a window overlooking the pool.

There’s also a soaking tub outside the main bedroom, on the deck, and a sauna to nudge the luxury quotient upward. Speaking of, a wine room, pool house, and an outdoor kitchen with a bar are ready for top-tier leisure. And eco-aware buyers will appreciate the smart-home automation and solar technology, too.

Main bedroom

(Realtor.com)

Primary bathroom

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Tub in the window

(Realtor.com)

Wine room

(Realtor.com)

Pool

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Pool house and outdoor kitchen

(Realtor.com)

Slayer seems to have disbanded, having played its last show in November of 2019 in Los Angeles. But King is still jamming with a new iteration of his former group. This band includes ex-Slayer drummer, Paul Bostaph, and is slated to start performing this year.

Source: realtor.com

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What is your home worth? What should you pay for your new home? While you can check your estimated value on a bunch of different websites for free, we recommend you tap the expertise of someone who can give you a more definitive answer of your home’s value based on similar properties in the market. That person is called an appraiser. Now let’s learn more about the appraisal process!

Who is an Appraiser?

An appraiser is someone who is certified in doing research and determining the fair value of homes. They determine a home’s value based on square footage, lot size, features, finishes, and other unique things about it. In addition to what makes up the home, the appraiser looks at the surrounding area. That includes school districts, the city, and other outside influences. An appraiser is a key player in the purchase or sale of a home.

A buyer’s lender typically requires that an appraiser comes to confirm the contract value of the home. This is all done to make sure that the buyer isn’t overpaying for the property and the lender has adequate value to cover the loan amount.

Sellers sometimes bring in appraisers to help them price their home right, but it is not necessary and many real estate agents help seller’s price their home. Some brokers even have dedicated pricing specialists to do the important work of determining the right list price.

What Happens During an Appraisal?

The appraiser evaluates the home in question by reviewing all the important stuff, as listed above. If housing prices were stable over time, the job would be done at that.

The reality is, the housing market fluctuates. To assess the strength of the housing market in the home’s specific area, the appraiser will research the prices of homes sold recently in nearby neighborhoods. They will look at the homes comparatively based on what they had to offer buyers.

How Much Does an Appraisal Cost?

Home appraisals typically cost between $400 and $500.

Appraisals are usually requested by the lender after the home is under contract. However, if you’re selling and are not sure where to price your home, you can purchase one early. A good option for this is the economical desktop appraisal.

Sellers who use Homie are provided with a value report, which is like a desktop appraisal. This service is performed by a dedicated pricing specialist who uses comparable home sales and local market knowledge to determine the value of your home. Unlike a full appraisal, a value report does not include a visit to your home and does not replace a full appraisal for a buyer who is planning on taking out a home loan.

Do I Need to Get a Home Appraisal?

Federal regulations require lenders to hire an independent appraiser for each new loan, which means that buyers must have the home appraised even if the seller has already had it appraised.

Home inspections are often confused with appraisals, but they are separate and performed by different licensed companies. A home inspection is conducted by an inspector who checks the build of the home to make sure everything is in good working order. They look over everything from roofing to plumbing and door jams to light switches.

They don’t assess the value of the home. An appraiser for example, may use the condition of the home to determine the value but the inspector will tell you exactly what’s broken and needs repair.

What to Do for an Appraisal

If you’re selling your home, you want to sell for the highest amount possible. This means when it’s time for the lender appraisal, you want to show the home at its best.

On the day of the home appraisal, be your home’s best advocate. Jot down a list of any improvements you’ve made to the home, like upgraded counters or a new water softener. Leave this list for the appraiser.

Make sure the lawn is mowed, the house smells sweet, the blinds are open and the surfaces aren’t cluttered. Theoretically, little details like this shouldn’t affect the price of a home, but you want to make a good impression. Don’t worry about a large renovation like finishing a basement but if you were going to repair something anyway now would be the perfect time. Most often large renovations or repairs don’t increase the value of your home by as much as they cost to complete. Instead, focus on showing off what’s already there and making sure that every part of your home is clean and in good repair.

What Happens After I Get an Appraisal?

Good question. Once the appraisal is complete, it is sent to the buyer’s lender or bank. In cases where the buyer is putting a relatively small down payment on the home (less than 20%), banks will approve loans only when the estimated appraisal value is the same or greater than the sale price of the home.

Sound confusing? Let’s talk about it.

Imagine a house gets an offer of $300,000 but only appraises for only $250,000 and the buyer is only putting 10% down (in this case $30,000)The bank may not fund a loan for the home at the higher asking price. It will not lend $300,000 for a house that, in the case of a default, might only sell for $250,000 because that would leave the bank short on its investment.

If you are in the process of purchasing a home and the home appraisal comes back lower than the negotiated sale price, you have some options.

What happens if you really want the house? Many buyers will try to renegotiate the sale price if the appraisal comes in low. If the seller is unwilling to lower the price, buyers can walk away. If the buyer is still absolutely in love with a home they can choose to increase the down payment amount so the lender approves the mortgage. Adding to the down payment decreases the amount the bank has to fund for the home.

If the appraisal comes in low, you should consult with your real estate agent about your options.

Got a Home You Want to Sell?

Homie wants to help you sell your home for top dollar! Get started on the listing process now! It only takes four steps to complete, and then your dedicated real estate agent will be reaching out to you to complete your listing. Don’t worry, we’ll advise you every step of the way. The best part? We do it all for a low fee. Click here to get listing or call us with any questions!

Want to Buy Your Dream Home?

If you’re ready to buy a home, click here to browse what’s for sale. Once you find the one you’ve been dreaming of, simply click Request a Tour and a Homie agent will get in contact with you!

Source: homie.com

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Renovating, modernizing, and sprucing up your home can be driven by many factors. Some do it from a desire to make the home look more attractive, to increase functionality, or to update outdated appliances or areas of the house.

And while we all like to live in new, beautiful homes, it has been established that adding value is the main reason people renovate their homes. By doing this, individuals will be able to sell their property (if need be) at a higher price that they would have if no work is done on it.

And since buying a home is the biggest investment most people make in their lifetime, it only makes sense to grow that investment over time.

While there are quite a few ways to do this, let’s go through the top 10 areas of improvement that can help you add value to your home quickly.

#1 Include a Garage

Not every house has a garage, but everyone wants to have one in their homes, whether they have a car or not. This only makes a house with a garage much more valuable than one without it. So including parking (even a tiny sheltered space) can help increase the value of your home drastically.

 But aside from having a place to park your car, are you aware that garages are actually very functional as it can be used for other purposes?

Even without a car, homeowners can still enjoy their garages as they can turn this space into their storage space, home office, or even an entertainment room. If you have a hobby, say biking, you can store all of your gear inside your garage, allowing you to have peace of mind knowing that these won’t be damaged when placed inside the house. 

If you have the budget for it, you can also invest in automatic garage doors to make the area more accessible and appealing. Automatic garage doors are smart investments, especially if you’re planning to sell your home soon. 

Photo by adrian on Unsplash

#2 Revamp the Bathroom

The bathroom is one part of the home every single one of us pays attention to. A bathroom should be a personal sanctuary that allows homeowners to relax and relieve stress. However, no one would want to live in a home with a leaky, droopy shower. Instead of helping the homeowner feel refreshed, this kind of bathroom will only cause a lot of stress. So, revamping your bathroom can help increase the value of the house.

To do this, you do not need to spend a considerable amount of money; just by scrubbing clean the tiles and toilet seats, and by adding some items to enhance visual impact you will make your bathroom look shiny and new. And as you’re doing it, you might spot some other elements that can be easily changed — like water fixtures — to add considerable appeal.

If you’re planning to buy a fixer-upper, consider applying for VA rehab loans. The money you can acquire from this loan will enable you to purchase a new home and fund any renovations for your bathroom, as well. 

#3 Add Some Extensions

Extensions are a way to increase the value of the home, and they could be added upward or have the house expanded sideways.

By adding an extension upward, you could include maybe an additional staircase. Sideways extensions could have you clear out a path and cultivate it well to have it serve as a playground.

#4 Renovate the Kitchen

At the end of the day, there’s nothing that adds more value to your home than a freshly renovated kitchen. Houses, especially those that want to appeal to families, have the kitchen as the centerpiece of the home. The kitchen is one of the most important areas of the house because this is where you’ll prepare meals for your family, and, oftentimes, entertain guests. How your kitchen looks and functions can significantly affect the ambiance of your entire home. 

Shaping up your kitchen doesn’t necessarily mean a complete overhaul. While this would ensure the best effect, it would take a lot of time and cost you a lot of money. Repainting, freeing up spaces and bringing in modern utensils can be a good and fast way to give your kitchen a fresh, renovated look.

One of the easiest ways to renovate your kitchen is to organize and make the space clutter-free. You’ll be doing a lot of things in your kitchen, which is why you should ensure that every item has its designated storage space. No one would love spending time in their kitchens if the area is a complete mess!

#5 Include a Well-Cultured Garden Room

Gardens are more and more often being incorporated in modern homes and play a role in determining how valuable said homes are.

Now, at this point, it is important to note that the value of a garden is not just in its size, but in how well it is designed and cultivated. So a well-cultured garden — even if tiny, but well-trimmed — can help add value to your home when you decide to put it on sale.

#6 Free Up Spaces in Strategic Areas of the Home

In the see-it-want-it-buy-it world that we live in today, we tend to end up hoarding a lot of unnecessary things. And those take up highly valuable space that can translate into extra figures on your home sale.

Take a good look at your space and try to clear the house of any unnecessary items, from big to small.

A good place to start is always by looking at older appliances around the house. Regardless of how expensive or sentimental these items are, if these are no longer used, it’s best if you disposed of them properly.

#7 Introduce Seasonal Features

The introduction of seasonal eco-friendly features can also help increase a home’s value.

This isn’t as complicated as it sounds, but rather includes planting trees in some parts to serve as a windbreaker and prevent water logging. Some parts can be cleared off to allow for cross ventilation.

#8 Improve the Aesthetic of the Exteriors   

The exterior part of the home is your house’s business card, the part that attracts everyone to the house. Improving the aesthetic of the house could mean either repainting the home or restructuring it, adding some nice-looking shutters, painting the door or windows, you name it.

New features could also be included that will help to enhance the aesthetics and make it attractive. But it’s worth it: remember that your home has just one chance to make a good first impression.

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

#9 Include Smart Features in the Home

Smart features like CCTV systems or alarms among others can help to increase a home’s value. Since they aren’t the type of features you see around every house, homes with these features tend to be highly valuable and sought-after.

#10 Make the Home Accessible

The creation of drive-through ways and walking paths can significantly increase ease of access. It also makes the home more comfortable.

Already existing pathways can be re-modified to allow for better access. This will be a major plus in the eyes of select buyers and will broaden your pool of potential buyers to include seniors and people with disabilities, so it’s definitely worth considering — especially if your space and the number of floors allow for it.

Remember that all the value you add to your home will be in your benefit. That’s in the sense that it makes the home more comfortable for you and if you end up putting it out for sale, at least you know you will get top dollar for it.

Or who knows? If you make your home that irresistible, you might scoop up an offer from someone that crosses your doorstep before you even end up putting it on the market.

More helpful tips

5 Simple Yet Meaningful Bedroom Makeover Ideas for Your Next Decor Upgrade
Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Buy a House in a Neighborhood with an HOA

Source: fancypantshomes.com

Apache is functioning normally

Everyone knows that one of the most important factors in shaping a rental experience is the actual physical home itself. However, what many people don’t realize before they move into a new rental home is that neighbors can be just as important and influential to the living experience.

One of the keys to having a good experience with your neighbors is to be a good neighbor yourself. Want to know more about how to get along and befriend the people around you? Check out these six tips. They can help you be sure that you’re not only respected by the people who live nearby but are also looked after by them, too.

1. Communicate

One of the keys to any relationship—but particularly the neighborly kind—is communication. It’s tempting to leave your neighbor be and stick to yourself, but if you want to be a good neighbor, it’s important to communicate from the get-go.

Introduce yourself after you move in, then continue to say “hello” when you run into one another. Some other important things to communicate about are problems with the building, times you’ll be away from your home, or any other problems you might have with them.

By communicating with neighbors, you not only show them that you are a nice person who can be trusted, but you also create an ally in your living space. Maybe you’ll even make a new friend.

2. Be Social

Another great way to establish communication (and also establish yourself as a friendly person) is to be a social person. Organize a potluck or picnic for everyone that lives in your building or neighborhood. Show your neighbors that not only do you want to know them, but you also want them to know each other and are interested in fostering a community where you live.

3. Be on the Lookout

One of the best parts about a neighbor is that they can be around your home to help you out when needed, so you should be there for your neighbor, too. Always keep watch and be protective of your neighbors’ homes, as well as your own.

This means that should something bad happen, you’ll be able to stop it or fix it so they won’t have to. Showing that you care about their space as well as yours is an excellent way to endear yourself to neighbors and to ensure you have someone looking out for your place and belongings as well.

4. Be Respectful

Everyone wants to live their own life, but it’s important to be respectful of other peoples’ time and space, particularly when you’re sharing a living area like an apartment complex. That means don’t have loud parties late at night and warn people who will be affected by noise from your home if you are planning to have a loud gathering.

Also, being respectful entails being mindful of shared walls, keeping your outdoor/shared space clean, and not using your space for anything dangerous or unpleasant.

5. Do Favors

It doesn’t have to be an everyday thing, but every once in a while you should do a generous favor for your neighbor. Putting out a little energy to do something nice will show that you’re a generous and considerate person, and it may end up in favors being done for you.

6. Train Your Pets

Pets can be great additions to life, but they can also be a nuisance to other people. So, for your neighbors’ sake, train your dog. Your pets shouldn’t be noisy, and they should know only to go to the bathroom in designated spots. This is a good way to ensure your neighbor loves your pet and doesn’t resent him.

Have you had any experience with great neighbors? Let us know what made them so great! Share your experiences in the comments below, or tweet @ApartmentGuide.

Apache is functioning normally

What was your first reaction when you saw “salvage title” in the headline? Cringe and shudder? Outrage, that anybody could seriously suggest something so risky on a respectable site like this? In mixed company, no less? Step away from the ledge, slowly, exhale, and then hear me out.

I used to feel the same way … until my friend Peter showed me his “new” 4Runner. Peter is a super-frugalista, and he saw the surprise in my eyes. He laughed, “Hey, it’s a salvage title — I got it real cheap.”

He bought his son one of those, seven years back, and that car has run problem-free all that time. So he thought, “Why not get one for myself?”

Why not, indeed?

What is a Salvage Title?

It begins with what people sometimes refer to as a car being “totaled” or “written off.” “Total” is simply shorthand for “total loss,” meaning the amount an insurance company pays out for the car’s full insured value. Most often, it’s a collision that causes a car to be totaled; but they can also be totaled after a fire, flood, hail, or even theft. (If a car is stolen and not recovered for three to four weeks, depending on the jurisdiction, the insurance companies have to pay the insured, which, of course, turns the theft into a total loss.)

Insurance companies typically total a car damaged by accident, fire, hail or flood when that damage is greater than its value. They naturally want to pay the smallest amount possible and, if that’s the value of the car, then that’s what they pay. When they do that, they effectively buy the car and its title passes to them. If they subsequently sell it, they are required to sell it with what’s called a salvage title.

Why Even Consider a Salvage Title?

A car only gets a salvage title when something bad happened to it. Buying a used car is such a crap shoot to begin with, why compound that by even thinking about buying one with a salvage title?

One word, the word we associate most with Get Rich Slowly — “money.”

A fully repaired car with a salvage title typically sells for 30 to 40 percent less than one with a clean title. If you were eyeing that $15,000 used minivan, a comparable (i.e., fully repaired) one with a salvage title would typically go for $9,000. That’s a savings of $6,000.

That’s a pretty compelling number if you’re interested to save money.

I don’t know if you heard, but someone just paid more than $30 million for a used Ferrari at the Pebble Beach auctions last week. The car was in a major wreck, but it was restored. The point is: a wreck doesn’t necessarily mean the utter demise of a car. Any car can be repaired or restored to mint condition. The trick, of course, is not to overspend —and to know it was done right.

Does a Salvage Title Make Sense for You?

The first thing you need to do is find out if your state allows vehicles with a salvage title on the road. Colorado, where I live, does. (That’s how I found out about it.) So, if your state allows it, you could potentially save a lot of money on your next car if you are one of the following kinds of people:

1. You drive your cars for many years. A salvage title stays with the car for the rest of its life. If you bought it for 60 percent of its normal value, you will only be able to get 60 percent of its normal value when you sell it. The longer you drive the car, the smaller the penalty at the time of selling. The net result is that you save a lot when you keep it for a long time. However, if you sell your car every two or three years, your savings at the time of buying will be negated at the time of selling, when you’ll have a harder time trying to sell it and you’ll have to take less. (In most states, sellers have to disclose a salvage title at the time of sale.)

Also keep in mind that most dealers will not take a car with a salvage title as a trade-in.

None of those issues present a problem if you plan to drive the car into the ground and then give it to your son going off to college in thirty five years’ time. 🙂

2. You usually buy older cars to begin with. The cost to repair a new car is not much different than repairing an older car. That means it will take pretty extensive damage to a fairly new car to get it totaled, because it’s still quite valuable. On the other hand, an older car is worth much less, even if it’s in good condition, and it doesn’t take much in the way of damage to get the insurance company to total it. In fact, a fender bender will often do it.

What that means is you can save 30 to 40 percent on an older car with a salvage title that has suffered only minor damage. (It’s a good general rule to stay away from salvage-title cars less than three or four years old.)

3. You’re not afraid to do some repair work yourself. If you know your way around a junk yard and you’re not averse toscraping your knuckles a bit, you can save even more than the 30 to 40 percent by buying a salvage-title car that hasn’t been fully repaired yet. If you can figure the cost of the repairs still needed, you deduct that from the 60 to 70 percent before you make your offer. Then you add some weekend and evening sweat equity to add that value back to the car —and you know the quality of the work that’s been done.

Buying a car with a salvage title is obviously not appropriate for everyone, and this post doesn’t try to make that point. All I hope to do is spotlight an option you may not have considered before but which might work for you.

Tips for Buying a Salvage-Title Car

As the saying goes, there’s no free lunch. In order to capture the gain of having a serviceable car at a 30 to 40 percent discount, you have to put in some time you wouldn’t ordinarily spend. Remember your first reaction above when you first heard the term “salvage title”? Everyone you deal with will have the same reaction. And because they’re not getting a big discount on their purchase, they don’t have any incentive to stray outside the box to accommodate you. That means more work for you.

1. Negotiate. Sellers will try to slide by with a discount of, like, 15 to 20 percent on the normal price, hoping buyers won’t know the appropriate discount from normal. Salvage-title vehicles is a buyer’s market; be sure to pursue the maximum advantage.

2. Financing: You should be able to get financing for a car with a salvage title, but it won’t be nearly as easy as for one with a regular title. The bank’s problem is the resale value of the car, which is much less than that of a comparable car with no title problems. If you are paying a lot less for the car to begin with, this isn’t that much of a problem. Expect to do more shopping, though. Personally, I think cash is the best way to buy a salvage-titled car, especially because of the next point.

3. Insurance: Insurance companies, for the most part, won’t offer the comprehensive insurance lenders require. They will offer collision and liability coverage; but, again, expect some push-back and more time shopping around for insurance. If you buy an older car for cheap, your insurance requirements aren’t that much, and you can get what you need. Most insurance companies will insure salvage titles cars just fine. Just be mindful that for them there’s not much difference in repair costs; so don’t expect any price break, even though your car was a lot cheaper than a comparable “regular” car.

4. History: Before you even make an offer on a car with a salvage title, you would be well advised to spend the time necessary to track the entire history of the car’s title. In particular, it’s important to find out (not from the person trying to sell you the car) what happened: what type of crash and the extent of the damage. CARFAX is a good starting point, but expect to do more digging.

Also included in the history research is the seller. Some businesses who sell salvage-title cars are reputable; others are not. Be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if this seller has had issues.

5. Inspection: It is good practice to have a professional inspect any used car you’re interested in buying. Although it may cost a hundred or two, I look at that as insurance: It’s much better to find out about any defects before you plonk down your money. If it’s a good idea for all used cars, it’s essential for a salvage titled car. In particular, you need to have someone check out the wheel alignment. In the old days, they used to talk about frame damage, but most of today’s cars don’t have frames any more — the entire body acts as the frame. If the axles get twisted out of alignment, the car is a pain to drive and it will double your tire wear. A body shop inspection will quickly reveal if that’s a problem or not.

6. Pre-registration: Some states require a police inspection and a certificate from the police before they will register a car with a salvage title. This is aimed at making it difficult for stolen cars to get back into circulation. You will need to do your homework on this issue before making your purchase as well.

In Conclusion

Good wisdom says even if you buy a clean-titled, used car you should do most of these things (e.g., have someone check out the car and research the title history) so the additional legwork might not be that much for you.

My wife and I tend to buy used cars and then keep them till they’re seriously long in the tooth, and then we give them away. Given the success my friend had with his salvage-title car, I’m seriously going to consider going that route next time we buy. The key, I believe, is to be very careful and to be prepared to kiss many frogs before finding the salvage-title prince.

Like many things in life, there’s a reward for risk and/or hard work. If you’re prepared to consider buying your next car with a salvage title, you may be able to pocket a significant savings. It’s not for everyone, obviously, but it’s nice to know an option like this exists.

Source: getrichslowly.org

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Now that you’ve checked off everything on your spring cleaning list, it’s time to decorate. Sure, you could pull out your old spring decor, but in the season of freshness, why not mix in some new pieces? There are so many customer-loved home decor options that also happen to be super affordable on Amazon. And the best part is, they’re all under $35. 


If you’re ever wondering if a home product is worth the buy, it’s smart to just look at the ratings. A dead giveaway is if the item has thousands of five-star ratings—and all of these decor picks do. They’re ranking on Amazon’s Best-Sellers list for Home Decor Products, so you know they’re good. You’ll find items guaranteed to refresh your living room and beyond, like gold accent mirrors, faux flowers, rugs, candles, and more. Plus, many of these picks are also on sale, up to 70 percent off. Sounds like your lucky day. 



Best-Seller Home Decor Under $35

  • Utopia Bedding Throw Pillows, $17 (was $18)
  • Cocorrína Essential Oil Reed Diffuser Set, $20
  • BeautyPeak 18-Inch Round Metal Frame Mirror, $26 (was $60)
  • Mandy’s Artificial Tulip Silk Flowers, $21
  • Ygeomer Rustic Wood Floating Shelves, $20 with coupon (was $35)
  • Sullivans Farmhouse Decor Vase Set, $30 (was $35)
  • Yankee Candle Home Sweet Home Large Jar Candle, $17 (was $31)
  • Loloi II Layla Collection Accent Rug, From $24 (was from $79)
  • Capri Blue Volcano Blue Signature Jar, $34
  • Ashler Home Deco Faux Fur Rug, From $21




Redecorating your home doesn’t require a full revamp. Sometimes it’s just adding a few new accents to make a room feel more contemporary, and accent pillows certainly do the trick. These throw pillows have a plush quality thanks to its fluffy polyester filling, making them comfortable to rest your back and head against. They come in seven colors, so you can use them as-is or put them in patterned pillow covers to change up the look.


Amazon



To buy: $17 (was $18); amazon.com.


Want to make an impact as soon as you and your guests walk through the door? Try investing in a new home fragrance, like this essential oil diffuser. It’s available in so many light scents that are perfect for spring, like clean linen or cashmere vanilla—both just sound luxurious. And when you walk through the foyer, you’ll also love the look of this diffuser. It comes with pretty minimalistic preserved flowers that make it a decor piece that pleases both smell and sight! 


Amazon



To buy: $20; amazon.com.


Speaking of flowers, you can’t welcome spring into your home without a bright bouquet. But if you don’t have a green thumb, these truly realistic-looking faux tulips will do. The petals are made with a silky soft material that gives the flowers a natural appearance, just before fully blooming. Still skeptical? Tons of shoppers are willing to prove you wrong, stating that they are high-quality and one even said, “These are the most realistic fake flowers I’ve ever seen.” The 20-piece set comes in tons of hues, including this pretty pink option. 


Amazon



To buy: $21; amazon.com.


And if you’re looking to add a little flair to your floors, go with this vintage-style accent rug. It’s available in 17 earthy tones and patterns that make it look like the rug was passed down from generation to generation. You’ll love that the low pile, stain-resistant rug is easy to clean, too. You can get it in several sizes ranging from small accent options to large room-encompassing picks. Just keep in mind that prices increase with the size, but nothing goes higher than $185. 


Amazon



To buy: From $24 (was from $79); amazon.com.


See what other best-selling home decor options are at Amazon by checking out the list below. 


Amazon



To buy: $26 (was $60); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $20 with coupon (was $35); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $30 (was $35); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $17 (was $31); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $34; amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: From $21; amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $15 (was $27); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $15 (was $20); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $14 with Prime (was $19); amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $29; amazon.com.


Amazon



To buy: $29 (was $34); amazon.com.

Source: realsimple.com