Garage Sale Tips

Garage sales (or yard sales) are a great way to clear your home of clutter and make a little extra cash. They require a little planning and effort, but the payoff can definitely be worth it. Here are some tips and tricks to help make your garage sale a success!

(Image: Good Housekeeping)

Pick a Day

Choosing a day for your garage sale is important. Spring and summer are great times of year to have a garage sale, but you will want to avoid holiday weekends as people generally have other plans. You also want to watch the weather. You will obviously have a lot less shoppers in the rain. While you can’t control the weather completely, try to watch the forecast and plan ahead. If it looks like it is going to rain on the day you had planned, try to reschedule.

(Image: Wholefully)

Work with a Friend

Combining your garage sale with a friend or family member’s garage sale is a great way to increase your inventory. People are more likely to stop by your sale if it looks like you have a lot of stuff available to buy. Plan to hold the sale at whomever’s house gets more traffic. Here’s a multi-family yard sale success story from Wholefully with more tips!

Get the Word Out

It’s important to start advertising your garage sale at least a week or two in advance. You will obviously want to let your friends and family know. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to advertise! You will also want to post to social media and garage sale finder sites. Finally, you will want to break out the (brightly colored) poster board and make some good old fashioned signage. Put signs out at the end of the street a couple of days before your sale.

(Image: Bless’er House)

Get Organized

Organization is key to a successful garage sale. Here are some quick tips and tricks from Parenting, Good Housekeeping and Bless’er House to help things run smoothly.

• Clean your items! No one wants to by dirty, old stuff.
• Display your items in an appealing way. Don’t just dump stuff in a bin. Hang clothes, display home goods, etc.
• Group clothing (especially kids clothes) by age, size and gender.
• Tape sets like dishes, bowls and plates together – most people would prefer to buy a whole set! This also applies to kids toys that have several pieces included.
• Don’t put a price on big ticket items – let someone make an offer.
• Set up an organized cashier’s table and designate someone to sit and run it.

The last step – make money! On the day of the garage sale, set up, relax and welcome your guests! Try to have some fun. If you don’t sell everything you want, don’t sweat it. Just donate it instead! A lot of the reason to have a garage sale is to de-clutter your home anyway. Hopefully your items will make it to someone that really needs them. 🙂

At North Eastern Group Realty, we are prepared to assist our clients with their significant Fort Wayne real estate decisions. Our corporate commitment is to provide real knowledge, proven experience and professional, quality service. To search all Fort Wayne homes for sale or find a Fort Wayne REALTOR®, visit our website at NorthEasternGroup.com.

North Eastern Group Realty is Fort Wayne’s largest independent real estate company located at 10808 La Cabreah Lane, Fort Wayne, IN 46845.