I don't think I've hidden the fact that I am a retail furniture salesman. I don't mention it in every post, but I don't deny it. I think shopping around is a good idea. I've never suggested that somebody NOT shop around. I have said the lowest price isn't always the best deal. There's a big difference. In fact, I was just looking at eyeglasses. I started by asking about prices. They were very taken aback, they're not used to that in an eyeglass store. But I look at it the same as anything else. I'll check them against a couple of other stores. It may be a $350 purchase for me, so I'll see if can't save $50. As for free shipping, I'm too cynical to believe that. Shipping is expensive, more now than ever. Free shipping just means they build it into the price. Anyways, the bottom line is the number you have to write on the check, not how that number is broken down. If a local store is being stubborn on pricing, then you don't buy there. No big deal. Just remember that furniture isn't perfect. A good local dealer will do more for you if you have a minor problem, and do it more quickly. The timing is important if you need to file a chargeback with your credit card company. You can search the posts here for people left high and dry because they didn't file a complaint in time. Where I am, the retail selection is much greater and pricing is more competitive. Where I am you could easily find someone to match or maybe beat the NC price on a Stanley bedroom set. Or you could find something similar imported from China but without the brand name for 20% less, which saves you a lot more than going there. If you don't have enough selection, if the local retailers are difficult to deal with, if the pricing is really that much different, if the sales tax isn't an issue, then yes thats a good reason to buy out of state. So it sounds like buying in NC is the right thing for you to do, especially since you're going there anyways. But I still say that the savings aren't what they used to be, and that most people don't need to go there to fill a house with quality furniture on a budget.

Here an estate sale is considered an indoor with outdoor items perhaps. Almost everything in the house is for sale and tagged. Usually by someone in the estate sale business. Things are clean and as I said tagged. Usually large items will have a sign saying they will take bids on them - if applicable. Prices are firm until the last day and usually on that morning things are 25% off and later in the day maybe after 11 they go half price. on a big sale the place iscleared out before the 1/2 price goes into effect and then people are let back in. The prices range from the perceived value of the item. I've seen both ends of the spectrum. People line up well before the usual 8 am opening to get in. Most of our sales are run by two popular Estate sale agents and their crews. A tag sale might be in the empty house or just items already priced If you have a lot of stuff it might be well to contact an agent in your community. It might be worth it just to avoid the hassles and headaches and they are usually responsible for everything. One of the most disgusting "estate sales" I went to was run by the family and they had their bed ridden aged mother in the living room watching people go thru her stuff while the family sat around drinking coffee.

I had my house on for two months of summer. We paid $5,000 to a stager who was AWFUL and basically made the house look worse, and while we had a good bit of foot traffic through the house we had no second showing (well, maybe one, but just so the spouse could see for the first time). First it was really over priced, I should have trusted my gut because I knew it was over priced but me agent has so much experience I just went with it. Even after 2 price drops we didn't get a sale, and by the second price drop it was well priced even in this market. We ended up taking it off and getting rid of the stagers stuff and putting our stuff back in. We also did some upgrading to the kitchen, and some of our own staging as far as replacing some things and upgrading some furniture. We actually had decided not to put it on again until the Spring but since it is all ready at this point we are going to go with an open house this weekend and see what the feedback is. I'm not sure what to expect from a Fall listing, it does NOT seem like a great time, but I think after maybe 2-3 weeks on the market I will get some feedback and take it off again if it hasn't sold and wait until Spring. Spring will be much better, and I feel pretty good about my chances. To make a long story short, we are out at least $5,000 by having it on those two months, and countless hours of crazy cleaning and me being too stressed out with the kids, but in the end I learned from the experience in a way that will really help me sell it and I think it was all worth it. I also became much, much better at keeping my house organized and free of clutter, something I really like! The best advice I have, and it is painfully obvious and simple, is that you want to be the absolute best on the market in your price. If something is better than you at that price then fix something, update something, or lower your price. You need to be the best in the market at your price so if one person is looking they will choose you.

I have not had relationships with Medallion, Dynasty, Kemper, Decora to know their price. I am a straight shooter and find it so interesting to read this message board. I am here to learn the mind of perspective buyers and what is happening to them around the country to learn of ways to improve. I find it amazing that so many people state that an itemized estimate is rare find. Also that cabinet shopping is worse than buying a car. I have only bought a few in my life I keep them till they die.. I hated my expierence buying autos! That is a disgrace to the industry I chose to be in. I personally love the kitchen remodel process becasue it is a mini design build expierence where you can be proud of your kitchen when you are done. I have stated many times that people from this site need to compare discounts from MSRP to find the average per brand and then you can see if you are being given a good price. I am begining to think that most people on this site go to retail locations based on show room appearance and equate the quality of displays with the quality of the business. The computer design software I use is Pro kitchen. It is less expensive then the more popular 20/20 that many of the stores use. The program has a data base of symbols for the cabinets organized by cabinet maker. A material list is generated from the symbols placed on the drawing that references MSRP of all the items placed on the drawing with relevant options. It is so easy to have the material list print out as a line by line estimate which is how I do it. Stores do not want to take the 2-4 hours it takes to produce a design that you can send to countless places to see who has the best deal. I can understand that to a certain extent. To me what does it matter the individual cost per item or the total as the items create the total. I had a customer in Orlando who I worked with for weeks providing quotes using different cabinet companies to get a price lower then the first go round. All my estimates were itemized line by line including all options to the custom cabinets. The husband got upset with me to the point of being almost rude that the other cabinet companies would not itemize the quotes so they could compare them to mine. I was amazed at his disdain towards me when I was the only company that gave him the info he wanted. I was told to make the kitchen fully loaded on exterior look and interior function which I did. They had 30 lineal feet of cabinetry 39" wall cabinets with crown and light rail soft close drawers and doors factory built intergal side panels on all exposed cabinets. 1 piece wainscott panels on the backs of the island and so on. Their price varied between approx $9,500 and $12,000 depending on door style chosen. The competition had a similar door style for 10,000 no crown no light rail and no upgrades. They went with the competition instead of asking me prepare a quote with out all the options. They asumed that I would not be able to match the competition because my detailed estimate gave them the ability to subtract out the options costs to see where the price would be without the extras. I would have made approx $3,000 on the $12,000 estimate. If they had asked me what was my price instead of assuming and said to me the competition is at $10,000 and been willing to show the paperwork I could have easily made another estimate with out the bells and whistles and seen my cost and decided what I was willing to negotiate to. I could have beat the competition easily. They assumed things they did not know or ask. We both lost. I could have given them a better price and we both would have been better off. Do not assume things wether you have a written total cost or a lump sum. Go to smaller stores that are more family owned get your quotes from each company and then share them with the competition and say can you beat this. You will be taken much more seriously if you have a honest written quote than a verbal story of your prices to compare. I am actually to the point where I am going to offer instead of free quotes as I do now to charging $150 for quote and measurement that is refundable if you do not purchase with me and you show me what the quote is you are going to buy and if I can not get the business for any reason and I then see a signed agreement I will refund the money. That way I will atleast see how I am losing to my competition and have a chance to learn and improve. Many dealers do not get the sales they want after working for them. Honesty is the best policy for all involved. Treat your perspective dealers and contractors as you want to be treated and you might be surprised what will happen. We have consumers playing games with us all the time. It sounds as though the dealers are doing it in kind. You have to be the adult to end the games and go with a straight face. The beauty of a free market is you are able to compare as many prices as possible. Take your written quotes and use them to your advantage and quit worrying about if I say the budget they sales person will set the price to the budget. So what if they do. Take the quote to the next guy and ask if they can beat and repeat the process until you reach the bottom price. Then size the company up and see if expierence and reputation are adequate if so you found a good deal.