In today's market, it's tough to sell your house. There are that many have had success though, so congrats to them!
If you hear that your friend has sold their house, congratulate them. It can be a very trying time for a family. Trying to coordinate selling your house and finding a new place to live can be very intense. Make sure you offer to help them move. And when you do, be sure to casually ask if there is anything they are getting rid of. No one wants to take all of their junk with them. It's a hassle. Nothing like a move to make your reevaluate your possessions and figure out what to purge.
Some friends of ours just sold their house (CONGRATS!). My friend mentioned that the buyers didn't want their hot tub.
"Really? What are you doing with it?
"I don't know. We'll have to get rid of it."
"Ummm... Can I have it?"
"Yes!"
Suhweeeeet! Guess who has a hot tub now? ME! And it was free. In the process of moving it, we do need to build a new frame, but we are handy enough to be able to handle that. I even have my eyes out for some free or cheep treated lumber on Craigslist. People take down their decks all the time and want people to come and take the treated wood. I've seen the posts. Now I just need to wait for the right moment. If I get the lumber for free, that means we have an awesome hot tub for the cost of some screws and some manual labor.
In fact, our friends were so grateful that we were taking it for them that they cooked us lunch and helped find some big dudes to help move it.
The point of this post isn't just to brag about my new (to me) hot tub. It's to show my Thrifty Readers that sometimes being bold with your questions can sometimes get you something awesome and help everyone out in the process.
Anyone have any similar experiences? Did you help a friend move? Did you recently move and give away all your stuff? I want to hear about it. :-)
When we moved into our first home, the previous owners had left several bookshelves, an ancient TV and a rocking chair behind. At the time I was still working and a woman at work's sister was about to have her 5th child. She was in a hard place, with 13 years between this baby and her youngest. I was so happy to be able to give the rocking chair to her, just to help her in some small way. We kept the rest of the stuff for awhile, until we were able to buy pieces we wanted. It was nice to have some furniture in the house when we came though. Moving from a small apartment to a 4 bedroom house, it was nice to not have an empty place for awhile.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend and I just purchased a home. We bought it out of foreclosure for 9500 (yes that's right) in a neighborhood where the minimum they are selling is 90000. (Yes that's right too!) It needs a lot of work, the kitchen is gutted down to the plaster. But just by asking we are getting a porcelein sink, stainless steel refrigerator and dishwasher. FREE. It never hurts to ask! We also got 3 volunteers to help with the work that need experience in construction. Its a great time to give and receive help! Tons of people are willing, you just have to ask.
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