Recently, I encountered a challenging situation with a homeowner. She was forced to sell her 3200 square foot house and move into a 1900 square foot condo. She was so overwhelmed to be forced out of her home of 35 years that she had no idea where to start or what her options were when downsizing her possessions. When it comes to cleaning out your household goods and downsizing your home, time and cost are important to think about. That’s why one of my mottos is: Cash, Consign, Craigslist, or Charity.
Cash for Clutter
One man’s trash, another man’s treasure. But what about your more valuable items? Many people find that ‘value’ is hard to give up. The thought of getting some money for your treasures might make it easier to let go. Let’s examine value. Is it about the stuff or the money? How much of your time will it take to sell the items, and what value you place on your time?
People are looking for a deal at garage sales. And if you are looking to unload your treasures, you’d better have low prices to sell them quickly – and be prepared to haggle. If you have the time to haggle over a 25 cent difference in price, then garage sales are for you.
Consign
In speaking with a local antique dealer, I learned that the antique market has changed dramatically over the past few years. Buyers are not looking for large bulky furniture like the pieces that your grandmother once proudly displayed. Homes are much smaller, and furniture is more streamlined. Thus, select pieces for estate mansions, like the 12-seater dining set or a special antique accent piece for a modern home, are few and far between.
Items that previously sold at $4500 four to five years ago will now barely fetch $1000. And if you are the owner selling this on consignment, you might only receive 50-75% of re-sale prices.
Craigslist
If you are giving away your treasures for free or selling at low cost, list your items on Craigslist, kijiji, Freecycle, or another classified ad website. You will expose your treasures to a wider circle of potential buyers. Create an account on the ad website, post each item for sale/give-away. Then be available to respond to each phone call or email from interested parties. The only cost to you is your time to take photographs, measurements and create a descriptive listing.
Charity
Many charities no longer pick up large household furniture. Due to hygiene reasons, they no longer accept mattresses and stuffed animals. Charities often only consider accepting items they can re-sell to generate funds to support their charitable programs.
Some donors would prefer that their items are given directly to those in need instead of being sold. Some charities will take away your larger donations (like beds & televisions) and place them directly into the hands of those in need. However, due to minimal funding, lack of storage space, and volunteer drivers, pickups can be very selective and limited to a waiting family’s immediate need. So, if your interest is to get your household items into the direct hands of those in immediate need, your time and your dollars may need to be spent to match the donation to the recipient.
You Chu’s – Cash, Consign, Craigslist, or Charity
In the situation with this particular homeowner, going through her three-level house, we identified almost 60 items designated for cash, consign, Craigslist, or charity. It took the two of us at least two hours to photograph and take measurements of the items. This does not take into account the time to post each listing for sale or to source out consignment stores, nor to correspond with emails and phone calls of interested classified ad buyers.
There is no guarantee that you will get any money for items your choose to sell. Not to mention, there may not even be any interested parties for the items you are giving away for free. Even designating items for charity does not guarantee the charity will accept everything.
At the end of the day, you still pay for:
- Your time to research, contact, navigate and negotiate.
- Professional organizing services to coordinate and navigate you through a potentially stressful time in your downsizing.
- A junk removal service to deliver your treasures to a charity, recycling depot and/or the rubbish yard.
What is your time (and peace of mind) worth? If you are overwhelmed with thoughts about moving, allow us to make it a smooth, stress-free experience for you or your loved ones. Contact Out of Chaos today for a consultation on our Stress-Free Move™ Services. We take care of all the details.
Image by Karolina on rawpixel.
