Strategies For Shopping Hoarder Homes
Shopping a packed estate sale can take some serious mental fortitude. When every surface is covered and every room feels like a maze, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. There could be some real treasures hiding out in the sea of stuff.
Strategy #1. Depersonalize the Situation. You are here to find things that YOU need and want to live your best life. You are not here to judge the person, their lifestyle choices, or the contents of the situation.
Strategy #2. Focus. What are you here for? Things to add to your collections? Things to start a collection? Usable things: office supplies, personal care items, consumable items – food, saran wrap, napkins, gift wrap, etc. seasonal items? Tools? Gifts? Clothing? Furniture? Focus on those items. Let the rest fade into the background.
Strategy #3
After you've honed in on your goals, zoom out. Be a drone. Take a birds eye view. This is the opposite of being focused. Get a sense of what’s available at this sale. We are going for vibe here. A hoarder house usually means multiples of similar items. If there are things here that are not interesting to you – don’t waste your time looking at them. There is plenty here that will appeal to you. If tools are not interesting to you – skip the tool section. Electronics – not your thing – don’t waste your time. But that colored glass – now that has some appeal. Spend some time in that department. Don’t feel like you must look at EVERY SINGLE THING. Spend some time in the areas that are interesting and important to you.
Strategy #4. Educate yourself. These are great sales to look at quality of items. Since there are multiples of the same or similar items, you have a chance to compare similar items that may have been purchased throughout the years. Most likely – those items were purchased over several years and at several different places, not all at once so it’s a good time to educate yourself on quality of materials. Take any category: clothing, linens, tools, kitchen items, stuffed animals or plushies (which aren’t the same thing, by the way, but that’s a topic for another post), Look at the tags – who made them, what’s the material. Compare similar items in that category. What stands out to you?
Strategy #5.
Be a judge. This is the time to judge not the person but the condition of the items. Generally, are they in good condition? Are they well cared for? Where did this person invest their money? Overlook the dirt – were they purchased and then just sat in a cabinet? Were they used and not maintained? I wouldn’t let the condition of an item stop me from buying it. However, I would consider if the price reflected the condition of the item. A decorative vase that I LOVED with a little chip might not bother me, but I might think twice about a chip on a glass kitchen item that I might be using every day.
With these strategies in your back pocket, you'll walk into even the most overwhelming estate sale with confidence. You'll shop smarter, spot quality faster, and maybe even walk away with a few stories to tell.