First-Time Home Buyer Tips: How to Shop for Furniture

Buyer

You’ve bought your first home and you’re getting ready to settle in when – gasp! – you find out that your Jacksonville home is bare!

The hunt for good furniture, at a reasonable price, is a challenge for many first-time homeowners. The following tips will guide you when shopping for new furniture for your Jacksonville home:

Don’t buy on impulse. The worst decision you can make is to head into a furniture store and to blindly start buying pieces. Instead, you must do your homework and make basic decisions ahead of time.

First, measure the room and make a rough sketch of the room’s dimensions, as well as the location of any windows, doors or doorways. Then, consider what basic pieces are needed in the room. Bring the room diagram with you, along with a tape measure, when you begin shopping.

Look for sales and clearances. Most furniture stores will have clearance centers in the back of the store. Head there first and see if there are any good deals to be had.

Don’t be afraid to shop garage sales, flea markets and online auction sites. There are great deals on high-quality furniture found there – all it takes is a bit of patience and good luck and you could potentially save yourself hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on furniture.

Determine which pieces to splurge on and which pieces to save on. A good mattress, for example, is definitely worth a splurge purchase, while a family room couch, which will likely be replaced every few years, may not be something you want to splurge on. Dining room and master bedroom sets are also pieces of furniture that many people spend more money on, as they are typically pieces that will last a lifetime.

Don’t get roped into financing deals through a furniture retailer. Most furniture stores offer tempting financing offers, such as free financing for a predetermined period of time. That may sound like a great deal, but the reality is that these financing offers will often have hidden fees or large penalties for not paying off the furniture before the free financing offer has ended.

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