If you have read my recent blogs, you know that I am a big fan of the huge antique/collectible fair at Brimfield, MA held 3 times a year.  So, it should not be a surprise that my agenda during good weather on Saturday mornings includes as many yard sales in town as I can get to.  I love to rummage through other people's junk.  I have found many treasures which I have gladly paid for and brought home.  These include a giant reproduction entry piece for my front porch, a real turquoise necklace, and a set of terrific mixing bowls.  I buy paperback books for a quarter each, small glass vials for spices, brand new photo albums.  Yes, I love to go to yard sales and look for bargains!

I also run yard sales.  I organize a few each summer in my front yard.  I go through my house and collect anything that I don't want or don't need.  I price everything very low (the key to a successful yard sale!), set the stuff out on tables in the front yard, post it on Craig's list and check the weather.  Because I live on a busy street, I don't even put it in the paper.  I share the fun with a couple of friends who bring over their stuff (junk?) and we spend our Saturday chatting with neighbors, friends, strangers and make enough money to at least take ourselves out for dinner.  It's not an activity for everyone - but it clears out the clutter from both my house and my mind!

I have organized enough of my own yard sales that I have become a bit of a maven.  I ran a terrific yard sale for my parents to the tune of $2000 and am lending myself to a colleague this Saturday for a big moving sale at her house in Acton.  It's funny how much I enjoy doing this - the organization is easy for me, the items for sale are always intriguing, and the people who frequent yard sales are the nicest, gentlest folks!  Yes, yard sales renew my faith in mankind!


Real Estate Hint #10 - Real Estate customers may not know that the community of realtors is quite close.  We see each other all the time at brokers open houses where we often eat lunch together and chat.  We have industry get-togethers and an occasional open house/cocktail party.  After a number of years we have had dealings with a variety of brokers in our own town as well as surrounding towns and have shared the intense experience of a home sale with many other brokers.  Therefore when your broker assists you in writing an offer on a house, the relationship that your broker has with the listing broker does not make or break the deal ,but can make the deal go easier if they know and like each other.  Just a behind the scenes peek at real estate...