Estate sales can be a great way to get rid of the clutter in your home and make some extra money all at once. While there are some definite positives, there can also be some hiccups. Estate sales can be tricky to plan, and it’s hard to know what will make them a success. Here are some tips to help you have a successful sale. Do Your Research You don’t want to price an item too low based on an instinct to then find out later it was worth substantially more. When you’re still in the planning phases, research items that you aren’t familiar with to see what similar ones are selling for. Places like Facebook marketplace, Kijiji, and eBay are good places to start. Clearly Mark Your Prices Bargaining is a normal part of estate sales. By having your prices clearly marked, it makes it easy for customers to see what you’re asking and make you a reasonable offer or begin negotiations. Clear prices make shopping easy for customers, and the easier it is the more you’ll sell. Make Sure You Have Enough Hands on Deck It’s not enough to just have one person available to collect money from buyers. You should ask for help from family and friends and have them dispersed throughout different parts of the home so they are easily accessible to shoppers. Setup a Place for Purchases You’ll need to set up a central place to receive payments. Make sure you have a table big enough so shoppers can set down their items, and handle their payments easily. Convenience is key. Get a Cash Box with Change A float is a necessity when holding an estate sale. You’ll need to be able to break bills and make change for customers. There is no way you want your customers to have to leave to get exact change somewhere else! Be Prepared for Crowds Many people who shop estate sales, do so first thing in the morning before items get picked over. It’s not uncommon for these sales to happen as early as 7 am so be prepared by prepping your home the night before and have everything set and ready to go. It makes for a long day but a successful one for sure. Keep your Pets Contained We all love our pets, but an estate sale may not be the perfect place for them. Check if your furry friends can go to a friend or family members house for the day to ensure your day isn’t spent chasing your dog or cat who got out or trying to quiet them down every time the doorbell rings. Advertise This is one of the most important points. How is anyone going to know you’re having an estate sale if you don’t advertise? Use your local newspaper, put flyers around town, post in local Facebook groups, put posters up on community bulletin boards, add your event to Kijiji and more. As your friends and family to share your event on social media for even further reach. Use Signs for Directions Many people stop by estate sales because they see signs while they are out and about. Place signs on major roadways and guide customers to your front door with clear, legible signs that are easy to read in a passing vehicle. Keep it simple-just add directional arrows and your address! Hire a Pro There are companies that focus on helping people set up for estate sales. Because this is such a big job you’ll need all hands on deck to be prepared. Relocate Stress Free makes preparing for an estate sale a breeze. Our friendly, and knowledgeable staff are able to jump in and give you a hand to ensure the day of your sale goes smoothly. With the spring weather finally here, now is the perfect time to prepare for an estate sale!
Declutter or storage?
When the space in a home suddenly becomes low, rooms cluttered, garage and basements no longer accessible, it’s high time a remedy is sort. But the extent of clutter all over can be overwhelming. The decluttering process may seem too difficult to pursue alone, but since space is needed, there has to be a way out. Seeking decluttering services from Relocate Stress Free is an easier way to go about. Is finding a storage solution much better or simply declutter everything and dispose of them in appropriate ways? Most homeowners find it difficult deciding. Here’s a simple guide on whether to find storage or declutter and dispose of the items. How precious are the items? Some of the items must have cost a lot of money and disposing of them is going to be a little difficult. In such a case, storage solutions seem better but it should be done with caution since one is most likely to hold on to almost everything which will only fill up the storage space. How often are the items used? Most of the clutter are often the less used, seasonal items. Seasonal items need not be disposed of unless they are broken or worn out hence no longer used even during the right seasons. As for the rest of the items no longer needed, decluttering and getting rid of them is the ultimate solution. If some of the items are still in good condition, they can be sold through auctions. What’s the reason for decluttering? Decluttering can be done when downsizing or simply need to keep things neat and organized. If moving to a house with less rooms or a flat, there are certain things which will need to be discarded even if still in good condition. For instance a lawn mower is not going to be needed if moving to a flat. As such seeking assistance from downsizing services companies like Relocate Stress Free, they can assist in deciding what’s needed and what should be discarded. On the other hand, if decluttering to acquire more space and keep things neat, then items in good condition but no longer used can be donated to charity, given away or sold if possible. Finding answers to the three questions is a good way of deciding on whether to find storage or declutter the items altogether.
3 Top Tips to Downsizing
3 Top Tips to Downsizing With a nice approach, it can be pretty simple to achieve. There are 3 Top Tips to Downsizing that can be used to downsize whether moving or just decluttering. To a greater part, moving can be really stressful, but downsizing is pretty much worse since the property size will be reduced with fewer rooms or space for the belongings. Downsizing is also be necessary when decluttering. This therefore simply means the owner needs to be ruthless and organized. Relocate Stress Free, a downsizing company in Calgary, provides solutions to decluttering, especially when homeowner can’t establish what to be disposed of. Start by simply moving around the house and creating a list of things that are really needed. Anything outside the list should be treated as expendables. It can be really painful losing some of the most cherished items, so homeowners need to give themselves a three months period to thin out their belongings. Maintain practicality on what’s needed When homeowner is looking for things to be disposed, they really need to be practical. For instance, if moving to an apartment, a ladder or lawn mower won’t be needed. If moving to a single bedroom from a three bedroom extra sheets, mattresses, beds and other such items should also be done away with. Donate, dump or sell? So the expendable items have been identified. A vast majority of items not needed can be sold through auctions or online at eBay. But selling can also be stressful, charities may be pleased to take a good number of items. They will accept bedding, clothes among other items not good enough to give away or sell. As for electronics, charities may not accept them so unless they are sold, other methods to dispose of them will be necessary. If stuck on what to do with most of the items, seeking assistance from Relocate Stress Free for downsizing services is a good choice. Establishing the available rooms Once settled on a specific property type, a realistic plan of the floor needs to be drawn so the homeowner can determine what can fit in which room without cluttering the space. When moving, there’s a higher likelihood that the new space will be crowded with plenty of full boxes. Therefore it won’t be nice to open one of the boxes and find it’s full of items that ought to have been disposed of.
What are the items most often forgotten during a move?
On the day of the move there are so many things to do. Relocate Stress Free will assist you to make sure you do not forget anything during your move. Additionally, these are some moving tips to help you for before your move and the day of your move. Before the Day of Your Move • Label all you boxes properly to help keep organization during the move. • Have a big box of big bags and keep them someplace handy. • Don’t pack all your cleaning supplies for the new house. Keep rags, towels, mops, and garbage cans and trash bags for the clean-up. • Don’t pack all your toilet paper. Ensure to keep a roll out for the old home and new home. • Remember to leave out some plates, cups, and paper towels for meals during the move. • Keep the coffee pot handy to bring to the new home! The Day of Your Big Move – items people forget • Clocks and small wall hangings. • Knick-knacks on window sills. • Items loaned to friends such as snow tires, power tools, and movies. • Items in crawlspaces – don’t forget the crawlspace! • Cellphones and computer charging cords. • Food in the fridge. Do a final check! • Toilet plunger. • Medicine in your medicine cabinets. • Items in your shred – lawn mower. • Outdoor decorative lights and solar-powered walkway lights. • The spare key outside. • The garage door opener from your car. In conclusion, the next time you move follow these tips and it will go as smoothly as possible. Relocate Stress Free is always here to make your move “stress free” in Calgary and surrounding areas. We offer decluttering services and downsizing services which are also beneficial when you are planning to move. More tips to follow.
Should You Do Spring Cleaning Before Moving?
Spring and summer are definitely prime seasons to be moving. The housing market will be “springing” into action and it is time to reduce the clutter in your home. By decluttering you can focus on your plans for moving. If you have a house that is untidy it will be distracting and Relocate Stress Free suggests you need to do a big spring clean! To reduce the stress on the day of your big move we suggest tidying early could really help. This is where planning needs to come into play. Relocate Stress Free reminds clients to start sorting out and packing a few weeks early. Next it is time to go through your house and try to figure out what you need to take with you to your new home. Remember when you are decluttering to sort through all items and decided what needs to be done with each item. Crate it Storage can assist with helping you sort your items accordingly. The final step is to ensure you have all your cleaning products and tools to complete a spring clean. Now it is time to clean, clean and clean. It is very important for buyers to see a clean well-kept house with no clutter! Let the selling begin! Before moving to your new house it is important to arrange for a professional cleaner to do a thorough clean or do it yourself prior to moving in. This would include cleaning the carpets as well. If you need assistance in decluttering services, downsizing services, packing services or cleaning services, Relocate Stress Free can help ease your stress! More tips to follow in the coming blogs.