Now that the steamy summer is over, you are probably thankful that fall is finally here! If you live in the northern states, you’re already getting hints of the winter to come, but if you reside in the South or the Southwest, it’s time to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather that autumn brings. One fun pastime that many people enjoy this time of year is garage saling. Since fall is a great time to take on home organization projects, you may have quite a collection of items that you no longer need and would like to find new homes for. One great way to pass your stash onto others while making a few dollars is to have a fall garage sale. Here are 5 tips to get the most out of your sale:

• Consult with your neighborsWhile one person’s garage sale might draw a handful of potential buyers, an entire neighborhood having a garage sale will attract a crowd. Particularly if you live a bit off the beaten path, if you can rally everyone together to host a community garage sale, you’ll all benefit. You can advertise it as being a multi-family sale, and chances are better that someone will have something for just about everyone who enters the neighborhood. So ask your neighbors if they’re interested in hosting their own fall garage sales, and agree on one date.
• Advertise wiselyYou don’t need to spend much, if any, money, to advertise your garage sale. First, put up a free ad on Craigslist. Check with your local newspaper, too; sometimes garage sale ads are free online. Then, make some signs to post on nearby street corners. Follow all local ordinances; in some areas, this is illegal! If you are allowed to post signs, include the address as well as an arrow pointing drivers in the right direction. It is helpful to make all of your signs on the same material. For example, if you are using cardboard, do so for all of your signs. If you’re writing the letters with a thick red marker, use the same marker on all of the signs. This helps people follow the signs to your garage sale, instead of getting confused and turning at someone else’s sign.
• Price your items rightBecause garage sale prices vary in different areas of the country, the best thing to do is to go to garage sales the weekend before yours. Check to see what others are selling standard items for. Bring along a small notebook and record typical prices for the types of items that you are selling. Try to get an average, as some people will price higher or lower than what is normal for your area.
• Have what you need on handYou will want to have plenty of dollar bills and quarters. Also, have larger bills on hand if you are selling items in the $20-90 range; some people will want to pay with $50 or $100 bills. You might consider buying a counterfeit detector pen for these instances to protect yourself. Have water and snacks handy so that you don’t have to leave the sale to go in and cook yourself something to eat. Keep your phone with you so you won’t have to go inside to answer it or if you need to make a call. If you have anything very valuable, keep it close to you, along with your money box, so that you can take these things inside with you if you need to use the restroom or duck inside for a minute or two.
• Be willing to negotiateThe idea is to get rid of these items, right? Particularly as the day wears on, you might get lower bids for some of your items. Unless you have a solid backup plan for your items, it’s usually worth it to haggle just a bit, then let it go for the lower price. Otherwise, the item will just be taking up room in your garage again after the sale!
  With a bit of advance planning and a smile on your face, you can have a successful fall garage sale. Try to have a plan for any leftover items, whether that includes dropping them off at a thrift store, giving them to a friend, or bringing them to a consignment shop, so that you don’t end up with them cluttering up your house throughout the winter. Good luck!

Not planning a garage sale, but still want to organize your garage?

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