Estate Sales Furniture Shopping: A Complete Guide

August 13, 2018

You may be looking for that perfect big-ticket item for your living room but can’t find something that you both like and afford.
Estate sales can be the perfect place to get furniture and other expensive items at a reasonable price. At estate sales, you’re likely to run into exciting, interesting and even rare pieces that you would never find in your local store.
If you’re interested in learning more about estate sales furniture shopping, read on. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about snagging furniture at a great price.

Make A Plan

A word to the wise: this isn’t the time or place to throw caution to the wind. Estate sales can be competitive shopping grounds, and if you want to use your time wisely, you’ll plan accordingly when heading to a sale.
You can look online to find out where sales are happening near you, and you can easily make a map of where you plan to go. Make sure to browse photos ahead of time so you can see what kind of pieces they offer and to make sure there is something that you like.
Once you’ve picked out a few sales and items that you’re interested in – don’t dilly dally. The early bird gets the worm, and the early shopper gets that perfect couch. It’s advisable to show up an hour early before an estate sale begins if you want to get your hands on a specific piece.

Bring The Right Tools

If you’re planning to explore the world of estate sales, there are a few things you should make sure to have in your car with you. First and most importantly: cold, hard cash.
You never know what kind of sale you might be walking into, whether it’s home-run or done by a professional service. Many estate sales nowadays accept debit and credit cards, but you never know when you’ll stumble into one that doesn’t.
Outside of cash in your wallet, make sure you have the following: measuring tape and a flashlight. You’ll need these to inspect a piece of furniture and make sure it’s the perfect fit for your living room.
Bring a color swatch as well to make sure that upholstery matches the walls of the room you’re planning to put it in.

Have A Transport Plan

You didn’t travel all this way to find your new couch and stand on the side of the road with it, right?
If you have a truck, that should be your transport for the day. If you don’t consider borrowing one from or enlisting a friend to go with you. Make sure to measure the interior of the truck beforehand to ensure that your furniture pieces can fit inside.
With that, you’ll be off and on your way home with your new furniture.