Fun Find Friday #3

This Fun Find Friday is not about actual fun things I have found, but about fun resources. As you all know by now, I love Craigslist! My fun finds are more resources like Craigslist.

Offer Up:
A several months ago, one of Joe's old college buddies announced that he had launched a new company called Offer Up. He was inspired by becoming a new parent and realizing all the stuff that comes along with kids. He learned quickly how fast they grew out of certain toys and clothes. So, Offer Up was born. It is a Craigslist-like site/app that he wanted to make more user friendly and safe. Each user has a profile so you are able to see the person who is selling the items. It is very easy to post items to sell, as well as browse through what is for sale. You are also able to see the area in which the seller is located. Items for sale are not just baby and kid related. You will find almost as much variety as you would on Craigslist. I have posted a few things on there to sell, but have not yet made a sale. I also, have not yet made a purchase from there. The easy to browse picture tiles and profile picture really appeal to me. Here is a look of what the app looks like.

 

 

Seeing that this is a new company, I am not sure if it is available nation wide yet. Something to keep your eye on.

 

Furnishly:

 While flipping through my new FAVORITE magazine HGTV Magazine, I came across a great article about flipping furniture makeovers for profit. In the article the editors found a few cool pieces that they rehabbed and listed on three different sites to sell. Ebay, Etsy and a new one to me, Furnishly.com. 

 

I quickly went to my computer to find out more about this new, possible obsession of mine. I found that is was similar to Offer Up and the Craigslist app, but is exclusive to furniture. I love anything with little picture tiles to make it easy to sift through. Like Craigslist and Offer Up, you search your area. Unfortunately, the word has not yet spread in my area, so there was not a lot of inventory. I will be checking back often and try listing items myself.

 

Happy Friday!!

 

Carrie

 



Kitchen Faucet Feedback

We are trying to choose a kitchen faucet style. I do know the general style I like, but when it comes to making decisions on details, I am the type of person who researches things down to a fault. I check reviews, brands, and every picture I can find to see how it would look. At times I find myself with too much information that I can't make a decision. This is probably not the greatest habit to have when  making a lot of decisions, but this time around I have my blog readers to help me.

We have narrowed down the style of the kitchen sink faucet to three. I feel like the kitchen sink faucet sets the tone for the rest of the plumbing fixtures, so that is why I am starting here. We plan to have a white front apron/ farm sink. Which style would you choose?

1. The Practical Look.
I like that this has the pull down sprayer and temperature handle all in one. We had this style in our last kitchen and it was very convenient.

Traditional Kitchen Faucets by Roslyn Heights Kitchen And Bath ExpressDecor.com

2. The Beautiful Bridge-mount Look.
I think this look is so beautiful and elegant. It gives a very traditional look, especially with a farm sink.
 

Traditional Kitchen Faucets by Other Metro Rohl
 

Traditional Kitchen by Solon Architect House of L Interior Design

3. The WOW Look.
I see this style a lot in pictures of kitchens I love. I feel like this is quiet a statement piece for the kitchen that can go with both contemporary and traditional styles. It also looks like it work real well to hose down my messy little Olen.
 

Modern Kitchen Faucets by Other Metro Lowe's

 

Traditional Kitchen Faucets by Mountain Top Kitchen And Bath Fixtures Vintage Tub & Bath

Feel free to leave a comment on my blog below.

Thanks,
Carrie

One Nice-Looking Hole

When Joe arrived to check out the progress the other day, he called and said there was "one nice looking hole" on our lot. By the time I got there Joe was gone and James, one of the excavating contractors, was there. I started taking pictures and he laughed. He said that he had never seen two people so excited about a hole before. James and his dad, Jim, did the excavating on our last house. Our last house did not have a basement, therefore there was no hole needed. So, yes, we are excited about this hole. Joe and I may be excited for two different reasons. Joe is excited that the hole is similar to size and placement of our future basement, which means less work to be done (less work = less money). I am excited because with the old house cleared, I can see all the sunshine on our lot. I need sun! The amount of natural light on a lot is always part of the deal when we are looking at property. This Florida girl needs as much vitamin D she can get.

This nice looking hole will soon be our home. It makes me smile!

Carrie

Demolition Day

After the uninvited guests finished up their kegger, the asbestos was properly removed, the last signature approved the permit, the Port-A-Potty was delivered and the city inspector halted the progress, Demo Day finally came!

I have to say, this is one of my favorite days of the whole construction process. There is just something about crushing things with a giant claw that makes me giddy. I can feel my testosterone level rise on Demo Day. All I can hear in my head while the walls of the house crackle like twigs, is AC/DC's TNT. Weird, I know, but that is just me. When I told the excavator that I wanted his job, he gave me the "you're kidding me" look. Olen shared in my excitement while Lila cried in the car because it was too wet, too cold and too loud. That is my little girly girl. I guess she doesn't have the suppressed redneck in her like her mommy does.

Olen just trying to be one of the guys.

 

Playing on the track hoe with his Boompa. 

Olen and Boompa watching the track hoe at work digging around looking for the sewer. They needed to unhook the sewer connection from the house before they could begin the demolition. Trying to explain what could happen if they didn't to a five year old, was a little difficult.

 

Joe, Lila and the guys looking on.

 

Demo was put on hold after two different inspectors showed up. We did a lot of waiting in the car.

 

 

The wet view from the warm car while we waited.

 

 

All clear, let the demo begin....

 

Here is a video clip of the garage surrendering to the Deere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that's a wrap!

 

 

 

Until next time,

Carrie

 

Buying and Selling on Craigslist

I have had several people ask me about tips for buying and selling on Craigslist. By no means am I an expert on this subject either. I used to think Craigslist was just down right shady. Until I experienced the harmless fun and easy spending money you can have buying and selling things. The first thing we sold on Craigslist was a sectional couch that we bought brand new. The couch was fine looking, just extremely uncomfortable. We ended up selling it on Craigslist for the exact amount we paid for it. In turn, we used that money to buy another, more comfortable couch.  From there I was hooked. I have bought and sold a lot of nice, barely used toys for the kids, building materials, furniture, and more.

Like I said before, I am not a pro at this. We don’t do this as a business. We only sell what we want to get rid of and buy specific things we are looking for. There are people who buy merchandise off of Craigslist or Ebay then flip it for a profit. Those are experts, I am simply a novice.

To answer the questions I received, I came up with a list of things I learned throughout the last 5 years I have used Craigslist.

Tips, lessons, and strategies…

Buying:

Get the Craigslist app. This app has thumbnail pictures of the items so you can scroll through quickly without having to click on each link. It saves so much time and frustration.

Figure out what you want. Once you know what you are looking for, do some research. Find out what are good brands and good prices by doing a quick Google search. It will help you know a good deal when you see one.

Be specific. Type in the exact item in the search bar. If you have a brand you like, type that in too to help narrow the search.

Know the neighborhoods. I learned very quickly NOT to go into certain areas to buy something, no matter how cute it was. If it is a scary area, pass. Narrow your search to the areas you do know.

Be safe. Only pick up items during the day. Tell someone where you are going if you are going alone. Ask the seller to meet you somewhere public.

Be cool. When responding to an add, keep it short and to the point. Ask them if the specific item is still available and tell them you would like to check it out. That is it! Don’t sound too excited because then you lose your ability to negotiate. Don’t worry, once I find something I love, in my head I have already bought it, painted it and moved it in before the seller even responds. But you can’t let them see that. Be cool!

Negotiate. This is my weakest skill. I get nervous and feel like I am offending them when I ask for a lower price. I have gotten a little better over the last few years. If you have done a little research, you at least know what is an acceptable asking price. It doesn’t hurt to ask as long as you are respectful about it.

Selling:

Research a good price. Check Craigslist and/or Ebay for items like yours. That will help you get a nice fair price to start.

Take good clear pictures. If your pictures are dark or unclear, people will just move on. At least I do.  I don’t want to spend the time trying to figure out if the item is nice or not.

Be honest. Disclose any problems with your item. Scratches, dents, missing parts, etc. Believe it or not, there are people who buy things that need a little love.

Ask for a phone number. I learned this lesson when selling our bedroom furniture set. There are scammers and spammers out there who reply with a generic response. When you reply back to them, they now have your email to send you spam. So, in the description of your item state that you will only respond to inquiries with a phone number listed.  This way you know it is a real person and not a computer.

Market it. List ideas of ways to use your item. Try to compare the look of your item to a popular store, like Pottery Barn, Anthropology or Crate and Barrel. For example if you are selling a bookshelf you can say “This “Pottery Barn” style bookshelf, will work great for toy storage in a kid’s room.”

Be patient. Each add on Craigslist expires after 7 days. You may have to repost your add a few times for the right person to find it. Don't get discouraged, just keep reposting.

Be Safe. Like when buying, meet someone during the day in a public place. Or take it to work and have them meet you there. If the item is too big to transport and they have to come to your home, bring it outside or in the garage so they don’t have to come in to check it out.

I hope this helps you all earn some extra cash or finds some great treasures!

Happy hunting,

Carrie