Moving in Katy is the perfect opportunity to take inventory of everything you own. After all, you probably don’t want to bring every single thing with you to your new place. And especially if you’re downsizing, you simply won’t have the space. Throwing away and donating things are ways to trim your haul, but you won’t earn back any of the money you spent purchasing your things. But there is an ideal solution — host a garage sale!
Hosting a yard sale can seem like a lot of work, but if you plan ahead, you can have great results. Plus, you can even get the little ones to help. They’ll love it. Check out these tips for hosting an awesome garage sale.
How to Plan a Great Garage Sale
First of all, you should understand the laws of your city. In Houston, you don’t need a permit to host a garage sale. However, if you host more than two garage sales a year, the city considers you a business and will require you to have a permit and pay taxes.
You should start planning three to four weeks ahead of time. This is not something to throw together overnight. Plus, make sure you get help! A yard sale is tough to do alone.
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Decide when to have it.
Will your garage sale be a multi-day event, or just one morning on the weekend? Around Earth Day, Katy hosts a community-wide garage sale. Keep this in mind.
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Choose what you’re going to sell and assign prices.
Price fairly and use round numbers. A permanent marker and painter’s tape will do just fine for price tags.
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Clean your items.
Make sure clothes have been washed and there is no dust on your inventory.
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Promote your yard sale.
Make signs around the neighborhood, and post about it on social media. You can also advertise it on community boards like Craigslist, YardSales.net, GSALR, and Garage Sale Finder.
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Go to the bank.
Get small bills and rolls of coins to use as change at the yard sale. Figure out how you want to store the cash during the day. Apron pockets and bank envelopes are ideal because you can keep the money on you at all times.
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Gather the supplies you’ll need.
You’ll need several tables, a hanging rack, signage materials, change, a calculator, and bags.
The Main Event
This is what you need to do on the day of your garage sale:
- Sort your inventory by category: clothes, toys, home goods, etc.
- Be friendly and sit in a location where you can easily greet your shoppers.
- Play some music and perhaps have your child set up a lemonade stand. Sell bottles of water for $1.
- Get ready to be surprised: What you think will sell out in a flash won’t, and the items you think have no shot of being purchased will be the first ones to go.
- Plan for the leftovers. Slash prices to the bare minimum, and donate the rest.
Follow these tips, and you’re sure to have a successful Katy yard sale. In fact, you may be ready to do it all over again next weekend!
Moving in Katy
If you’re moving in Katy, call Ameritex Movers for a smooth, stress-free moving experience. Our Katy movers can help with all aspects of your move, from packing up belongings at your old place to setting them up in your new home. Fill out the form above for a free moving quote.