Residential Real EstateGarage Sales II: The "Rules" for Sellers
Can"t we all just get along?
Well, that depends. After all, you are opening up your garage and
subjecting your neighborhood to a barrage of complete strangers. You"re in
for an interesting mix of personalities. You"re going to see a wide
cross-section of manners, from rude early birds toting their screaming tots
to "hagglers" who challenge you over 25 cents. You"re lucky if you can make
it through the day and remain on good terms with your neighbors on either
side of you, who aren"t going to want to invite you to the next potluck
dinner if your prospective buyers park their cars at the base of their
driveways, or, even worse, in their yards. And if those buyers peer into
your neighbors" windows or ring their doorbells at 7 a.m. on a Saturday,
well, you"d better move when this garage sale is over. And unless you learn
to tactfully negotiate with those bargain-hungry buyers, you"re not going
to earn enough money off this garage sale to pay the movers" fees.
Sellers, too, need to abide by a few unspoken rules when they decide to
hold a garage sale. Your top priority needs to be your neighbors. They
didn"t ask for strangers to tramp through their begonias at 7 a.m. You"ve
got to put a premium both on their privacy and their property rights. And
it might surprise you to learn that you have a few obligations to your
prospective buyers, too, however loud or bossy they might be.
Make sure you"ve notified your neighbors of your plans before the big day
arrives. You"re not obligated to go door to door up and down the street,
but you should certainly tell your neighbors on either side of you and
across the street from you, as well. Notify them of your start time, and
assure them that you won"t be accommodating early birds. Your neighbors
will appreciate your consideration and won"t be surprised to spot
unfamiliar cars in front of their homes the next day.
To make good on your promise to your neighbors, be sure that your home is
clearly marked as the site of the garage sale. Place a sign on your
mailbox, string some balloons around it, whatever you think will designate
your home as the "right" place. There"s nothing worse than finding a
stranger on your doorstep at 7 a.m. who has mistaken your home for the
seller"s. And when you"re hanging signs throughout the immediate area that
advertise your sale, be observant of the aesthetics of the neighborhood (no
iridescent, fluorescent signs, wild streamers, etc.). There"s no need to
hang signs every five feet; bargain-hunters can smell a good sale, so a few
signs strategically placed here and there should do the trick. You might
even add "Look for the balloons" or some other reference to the
identification you"ve placed outside your house -- just to ensure that no
mistakes are made.
When you"re setting up for your sale, make sure that all items that you
don"t wish to sell remain well out of reach. You can"t blame buyers for
picking them up otherwise. When you correct them, it"s not going to do much
to establish good will with your buyers. And if you"re setting up for the
sale either with a family member or another neighbor, make sure that
everyone knows what"s for sale and what isn"t. You may consider tagging
those items with colored labels before set-up time. Even though you"re
probably also going to be labeling all items with prices, an occasional
oversight could result in one of your valued possessions being placed in
the sale area.
And yes, even though you"re anticipating that buyers will attempt to
negotiate on prices with you, you should mark all sale items with prices.
First of all, this helps to clearly designate what"s for sale and what
isn"t; and second, it establishes boundaries of the prices for which you"re
willing to sell each item. Third, it"s just plain considerate for your
buyers. If don"t see prices, they"re likely to wonder if the item is indeed
for sale; they might assume it"s going to be too expensive, so they
shouldn"t bother asking; or they might just give up in frustration and
leave. Tempting those buyers with clearly marked, reasonable prices will
make them stay and purchase more. You"ll profit more, and, of course,
you"ll get rid of more of your clutter. It"s a win-win for everybody.
And while we"re on the subject of prices, remember that you"re selling
used property. If buyers wanted to pay top dollar, they"d buy new.
That chair might be worth a lot to you because it"s comfortable and because
your favorite aunt gave it to you, but those factors shouldn"t enter in to
the price you stick on it. You"re going to end up with a garage full of
possessions and minimal profits at the end of the day if you refuse to set
reduced prices, or if you refuse to negotiate with buyers. You don"t have
to go broke and give in to a buyer"s request that you sell that chair for
pennies. But you do, however, need to recognize that your chair is used,
not new, and your buyer shouldn"t have to pay a new price. Garage sales are
inherently "cheap" by nature. If you own something that you want to sell at
a higher price, then you should consider placing an ad in your local
newspaper or selling it to a friend or family member.
Under no circumstances should you bend the rules for early birds -- even if
you"ve been up for hours by the time they start peering in the garage-door
windows at 7 a.m. Stand your ground. Draw the shades, close the blinds, and
refuse to give in until it"s time to start. Shoppers who respectfully abide
by your start time will be annoyed if you let early birds walk away with
the best goodies. If you try to hold another garage sale in the future, you
might be surprised at how many early birds descend upon your home.
Garage-sale shoppers are a seasoned bunch. They know where to find the best
bargains and who typically opens early. Based on your encouragement to show
up early today, they might push the envelope and arrive at your house even
earlier next time.
When your garage sale is over, take down your signs immediately -- on the
same day of the sale. This is your obligation as a good neighbor. If you
don"t take those signs down, you"re going to have prospective buyers
driving up and down your street hunting for the sale that doesn"t exist,
possibly parking their cars and peering in garage-door windows. And in this
case, you can hardly blame them. Your fellow neighbors also are going to
become annoyed at the sight of large signs hanging around the neighborhood.
Those signs become an even worse eyesore after the first rainfall, when
they begin to droop and hang lopsided, when ink smears and when they
eventually fall to the ground until neighbors have to pick them up.
Keeping in mind that "no house is an island" will help you keep the peace
in your neighbhorhood and hold a successful garage sale -- so successful,
in fact, that your neighbors might be tempted to join you next time.
Also See:
Garage Sales: Minding Your Manners