SayEducate

Quick, what are some of the favorite past times for Americans?

If you named baseball, cook outs, and Disney vacations then you’d have picked three that definitely fit. Allow me to add a fourth choice — yard sales — the ubiquitous warm weather diversion favored by millions every weekend.

The Season For Sales

Yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, et al, are held year ’round, but pick up noticeably when the weather turns warmer. Right now, many of your neighbors are sorting through their stuff to see which items they can get rid of in advance of their sales.

By no means am I someone who holds these types of sales, but I do attend them from time to time. After all, if someone has something that is in very good condition, such as yard tools, I’d rather buy it from him instead of paying full price at Home Depot.

Tips To Help Make Your Sale A Success

From a consumer’s perspective the following are some tips I’ve put together to help you move your stuff. You may not be able to make a living with a yard sale, but you could pull in some nice cash over the weekend.

Before you have a sale, make sure that you understand your community’s restrictions to these types of sales. Over the years some towns have put a limit on yard sales as they’ve become a traffic nightmare and an annoyance to neighbors. If you live in a planned community, your neighborhood association might even forbid yard sales.

Pick your dates wisely. This past Saturday, two of my neighbors had yard sales and they seemed to be busy. Despite being on the eve of Easter, they had a steady flow of traffic. On the other hand, having a sale on Easter Sunday wouldn’t have been considerate to their neighbors. Choose dates that don’t interfere with other attractions, but if you are on a road with a lot of traffic, event-goers could be your best customers.

Hold it early, end it early. Let’s face it: you’d prefer to sleep in on a Saturday, but if you can get out there early, even at 7 a.m., you’ll attract plenty of early-risers. The earlier you start, the earlier you can end your sale — who wants to work ’till 5 p.m. when you can end your sale at 1? Caution: your neighbors may not appreciate the early noise!

Be wise with advertising. Besides having excellent directional signs to your home and plenty of them, you’ll want to make use of your Craiglist, Backpage, or Kijiji listing. Each site is free and you’ll get plenty of traffic from all three. Local newspaper ads are virtually a thing of the past. Don’t forget to remove all signage once your sale concludes.

Coordinate with your neighbors. I’ve always appreciated when a neighbor mentioned ahead of time that they were holding a garage sale. This was helpful if I was planning to have family and friends over at the same time and parking was a premium. Besides, why not ask your neighbors if they want to hold their sale on the same day? The traffic numbers from multiple sales can be a bonus.

Price your stuff wisely. If you aren’t sure of the value of your items, research eBay and other sites to find out what they are selling for. You could have a diamond in the rough, an heirloom worth hundreds of dollars. Price everything accordingly and your items should move.

Of course, having plenty of change on hand, enough workers to help out, everything displayed easily, and a bargain bin available are some other good ideas which will ensure the success of your sale.

Yard sales are an American institution and if you are planning to move, they can be a great way to clean out the clutter.

Further Reading

How to Plan a Yard or Garage Sale

Resources

Planning Your Move

Selling Your Home

Consumers have been keeping close tabs on federal interest rates, witnessing a three-point decline from 5.25% to 2.25% in a six-month period. For people seeking to refinance their existing loans and for prospective homeowners needing a first mortgage, the lowered interest rates is good news.

However, unlike five to seven years ago when the federal rate dropped to a near historic low of 1%, mortgage interest rates are not likely to go much lower even if the Federal Reserve Bank decides to cut interest rates again. Other factors, namely a slowed economy, is impacting mortgage interest rates which means one thing: now may could be the best time for you to take action.

Mortgage Backed Securities

Another factor determining mortgage interest rates are mortgage backed securities, those funds which finance a large pool of mortgages today. Banks typically sell off home mortgages to secondary markets, but inflation fears and the credit crunch have kept mortgage rates from dropping. Investors are shying away from mortgage backed securities, preferring less-risky financing options.

Wait It Out?

Some financial analysts predict that a further easing of mortgage interest rates could occur this summer as the housing market begins to heat up again. A stronger housing and the easing of the current credit crunch can spur interest in mortgage backed securities, driving down rates across the board.

Further Reading

Dollar Gains on Speculation Fed’s Actions Will Revive Growth

Fed’s bold moves: Band-Aid or breakthrough?

The Fed’s Interest Rate Cut Doesn’t Mean Mortgage Rates Will Fall

Resources

Home Purchase Loans

Home Refinancing

Home Improvement Time

The parking lots at the big box home improvement stores in my area are jammed pack most days, particularly on the weekends. With winter behind us, spring is definitely here and with this new season homeowners are taking a look at various home improvement projects they can do for themselves.

Spring is the most popular season to tackle most jobs as homeowners prefer to spend their summers in pursuit of leisure activities. Who wants to spend valuable time painting a fence or sealing a driveway when the pool, tennis court, or a beach house beckons? Not me!

Spring Has Sprung

So, without further delay let’s take a look at some home improvement projects you can do yourself or, if your budget and mind are set on other things, jobs which you can turn over to your favorite contractor.

Your Spring Home Improvement Guide

Driveway — Once the flowers and buds have fallen off of the trees and overnight temperatures stay well above freezing, consider resealing your asphalt driveway. A few buckets of sealant and a sturdy push broom will do, a job that can usually be completed within 2 or 3 hours.

Lawn — Before applying fertilizer and reseeding, you’ll need to aerate your lawn. If you have a pair of soccer cleats, then put them on and take a walk around the yard. Or, use your ski poles to do the trick. This job will take 1 or 2 hours to complete.

Deck — Putting sealant on your deck is important, especially if you haven’t done this in years. Extend the life of your favorite outdoor gathering spot and set aside about half of a Saturday by carefully applying the right amount of sealant for your deck.

Pool — People living in warmer climates keep their pools filled year ’round, even if it is too cool to swim. For everyone else, pool maintenance starts just before summer and goes on throughout the swimming season. Inspect the pool’s lining for cracks; check the drainage, heater, and pumps; make sure that child safety features are working; buy new chemicals; fill the pool up; etc. I don’t own a pool, but I know that these project are ongoing.

Garage — I hate clutter! Then again, the garage is the usual place where all of our stuff tends to gather. Spend a few hours one Saturday morning tossing out what you don’t need, donate good stuff to Goodwill or to the Salvation Army, or hang out your garage sale sign and sell everything you don’t need.

Attic — Much like the garage, your attic can easily become the repository for all sorts of junk. If you don’t need it, then move it on out. While you’re up there, check the flooring, walls and roof to see if anything was damaged over the winter. Handle this job yourself or call in a contractor to make the necessary repairs.

Home Exterior — Clean out the gutters, free up the downspouts, touch up paint under the soffits, around the windows and shutters, and your doorways. If your home has siding, examine for damage and replace panels as needed. Consider repainting the home if it hasn’t been touched up in years, a project you can complete within a week’s time.

Home Interior — Touch up paint throughout the house or consider repainting every room, setting aside several weekends during the Spring months to handle this chore. For the bathroom, grouting the shower and tub will keep your bathroom watertight. Recheck windows and doors to secure sealant that may have worked its way loose over the past few months — inspect your central air-conditioning system to make sure that it is ready to go when the first heatwave rolls in.

Time To Relax

If you aren’t tired just reading these tips, you will be once you get the projects going. However, if you tackle the work now, then you’ll have plenty of time to relax beside the pool or at your mountain retreat later with the bulk of the projects behind you.