Garage Sale Rover

Now that it is spring, garage sale season is in full swing! A lot of friends ask how to find out where the sales are. I guess the "old fashion" way is to look them up in the local newspaper but what I use is an iPhone app called "Garage Sale Rover". It is free and shows you where garage and estate sales are in your area and on what day. The app even lets you map out an optimal route in which to hit up all of the sales.

 

A couple things to remember when garage saling 

(and I can't take credit for any of these as it is my mom, the "garage sale guru", that has taught me all of this):

1. The early bird catches the worm! 

There is no room for sleeping in if you want to get some real treasures! If a sale starts at 8am, you better be there at 8am on the dot because the experienced garage salers will be there ready to get the good stuff.

2. Ask if the seller can do better. 

I sometimes feel awkward haggling with people and don't want to offend them with a lower price than      they are asking. A good (and polite way) to try to get a lower price is to simply ask them if they can do better on the price. The worst they can say is "No, sorry".

3. Try to hide your excitement! 

When you come across something you LOVE, sometimes it is better to play it cool. If a seller knows you really want something, they are less likely to budge on price.

4. Have an imagination. 

Sometimes things can look super crappy when they are in some dirty basement or garage so it is important to have an imagination and picture it cleaned up/painted in a different color/re-purposed and in your home. 

-Happy hunting!

Caitlin