In the northeast, they're called tag sales. Down here, they're either yard sales or garage sales. In any case, these are sales where the sellers try to sell used and/or new items at substantially discounted prices. Yard sale sellers desperately want to get ride of their unwanted/unneeded items and yard sale buyers are looking for a great deal on new treasures.
Ever done a yard sale? If not, you need to do at least one. A few years back, we did two of them. The year was 1995 and we made about $300. The next year we made about $800. We thought we had struck gold.
At our yard sales, I had the time of my life. I LOVED negotiating prices with the buyers. Sealing the deal was like being in heaven.
Some tips for a successful yard sale:
1 - Write a creative ad for print and online venues. Intrigue people to come. Include start and end times, address, and directions.
2 - Make directional and yard signs bright and prominent. Better to put up too many than not enough. If you can't be found, you can't sell. (Check with your local county or town for sign restrictions.)
3 - Have plenty of people on hand. One person needs to man the cash box; the others need to sell and negotiate with buyers.
4 - Price items to sell. Even in Brentwood, Franklin, West Meade, and Green Hills, people are looking for a bargain. A few sellers price things too high. That's a sure sign they don't really want to part with their items.
5 - Be flexible in negotiations. Win-win is the key for successful sales.
6 - Establish a time and place with a clear start time and end time.
7 - Open early. Have your items ready to go at least an hour before your published start time for the early birds. Early birds are the serious garage/yard salers. Be open early because they will be your best buyers.
8 - Everything should be CLEAN and organized by type of item. For example, all clothing should be sorted by Men's, Women's, Boy's, Girl's, etc. Stack dishes together. Christmas ornaments and decorations should be together. Tools should be in the same location. If it's junky, then throw it away.
9 - Be organized. When negotiating, carry a pen and a pad of paper with you. Write the TOTAL number of items and the TOTAL SALE PRICE on a sheet of paper and sign it so the cashier knows that this is the price you're willing to sell the items for.
10 - Gauge the sale. When you're down to the last 60 to 90 minutes, check the traffic out. You may slash prices at that point to get the last items sold. Consider selling everything in a "lot" or discount prices to 50%. The less you have to keep, the better.
11 - Arrange for Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or some other charity lined up to pick up your left overs within two hours after the sale ends.
12 - Have fun!
Isn't it time for you to go clean out that garage, your closets, your house?! There's no better time for a yard sale than right now.
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To work with an agent who understands how to get your home ready to sell, give me a call. I'm more than happy to help you get the price, terms and conditions that are acceptable to you in the sale of your home. And I can also give you a hand in getting that yard sale going.
Oh, and I'm having a yard sale this Saturday (10/24). Look for my ad on Craigslist and on Facebook this coming Friday.
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