Furniture Buying Blunders To Avoid

by Judy Szablak 11/13/2018

Once you have moved into a new home, you’re going to want to make it look amazing with some nice furniture. If you’re in too much of a hurry, you can make some very common furniture buying mistakes that will cost you more than just the money you have wasted on furniture. Read on before you begin filling that new home with sofas, chairs, and tables.  


You Don’t Plan For Style Or Practicality


If you’re a young couple moving into your first home, you probably have a lot of plans for the future. Children may possibly be a part of those plans someday. Remember that a $3,000 leather sofa may look really great when it’s just the two of you. Fast forward a couple of years to the terrible twos and envision permanent marker all over that beloved couch. Keep in mind that the lifespan of heavily used furniture is anywhere between 7 to 10 years. 


Even if children aren’t in your future plans, the same problems are true for pets. If you don’t have a dog and purchase the expensive sofa knowing that you have plans to get a dog, you should think twice. Pets can claw furniture and leave behind clumps of pet hair. If you have plans for children, pets, or both, consider the type of fabric that you’ll have on the furniture carefully. It’s important to select pieces of furniture that suit your life, budget, and aspirations. 


You Buy Everything At Once


It can be tempting when you have an empty house to try and buy all of your furniture at once. If you buy everything at the same time, you won’t have any room for flexibility to buy pieces to add to your collection from other stores at a later date. The best way to approach filling an empty house is to buy the big necessities first, then fill the rest of your home as you find what you like and need. 


You Forgot To Measure


Imagine this: You just bought your dream bedroom set. The delivery people come to the house to drop it off, and it doesn’t fit in the space! When we see things in the store, we often make every effort in our minds to convince ourselves that it will look good in our home. The reality is that furniture needs to fit in order for it to actually “work” in a room. Before you even set out to buy furniture, take measurements of every room that you’re shopping for. Have the list handy of all these numbers that you can refer to. 


Finding the right furniture comes down to avoiding impulse buys for these big purchases. Planning is everything when it comes to filling your new home with furnishings that will last the test of time and design.      

About the Author
Author

Judy Szablak

With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.

She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.

 Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”

 Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com