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So you’ve decided to sell your house. What’s more, you’ve decided to sell your furniture too. Whether upgrading, downsizing or making a lateral shift toward a totally refreshed living space, completely wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch is an undertaking that begins with finding buyers for your current home and the possessions you wish to sell as well.
The planning stages of selling your house will greatly depend on the demand of the local housing market. For example, those with Escondido houses for sale or properties in other hot real estate markets won’t have to worry as much about timing their sale for springtime, since there’s a good chance buyers will be interested year-round. Homeowners in markets where demand has plateaued in recent months, on the other hand, may want to hold off until next year.
Deciding whether or not it’s worth it to sell your furniture or donate it will depend on several factors. It’s important to note that furniture is highly susceptible to depreciation no matter how well it’s maintained. With some exceptions, sellers should expect to net approximately 35% of the accumulated price they paid for furniture.
Exceptions to this rule include things like rare antiques and top designer furniture. For example, rare antique clocks, such as those offered by M.S. Rau Antiques, could fetch more than you originally paid and the same could be said for original Eero Saarinen womb chairs. Your three-year-old Poliform Queen armchair or recently bought Kartell invisible table, however, are likely to sell for less than you paid.
Getting the most money for your home and furniture may require investing in some cleaning and repairs. Deciding whether or not these investments will be worth it requires some initial calculation, but more times than not the bottom line justifies the expense. For instance, new carpeting in the living room is a $600 expense which may help boost the asking price by $1200 or more. Having your loveseat reupholstered, however, may only be worth it if the piece is exceptionally valuable, to begin with, considering the repair is likely to run in the $300-500 range.
Another factor to consider is the time it takes to arrange for a house and furniture to be put up for sale as well as sold. Most people probably don’t have enough free hours in the day to get the job done on their own. While realtors are well known in terms of their ability to manage the selling process for homeowners, most people don’t realize similar services exist for selling their possessions. Estate sale specialists and antique furniture galleries are happy to step in to manage the sale of your belongings. This will involve listing fees and commission, but the rate tends to be flat across a single batch of items sold, rather than per individual sale.
Participating in an estate sale is also a great way to declutter. Choosing which items to sell and which to keep will force you to make some tough decisions, but ones that help to reduce the amount of stuff you have floating around your living space.
In the end, anything you haven’t been able to sell and don’t want to take with you to your new home can be donated. There is no shortage of non-profit donation centers which would be happy to come to pick up your unwanted items.
Once you’ve sold your house and furniture, it’s time to buy new ones if you haven’t already done so. Consider returning to the professionals which assisted you in your sales, particularly if the transactions were notably positive. It’s better to go with proven solutions rather than explore new alternatives.
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This content is sponsored by Anne Davis.
Photo: Getty Images