How to Find an Auction or Estate Sale

There are many ways to find an auction or estate sale near your hometown. You can attend an auction for anywhere from sales leftover from estate sales to antiques to houses- and you can do so for free! Even if you don't have the cash to buy anything, these still can be exciting to watch!

Things You'll Need

• Computer

Instructions

1. 

   The first auction I attended was for Weekend Furniture Store and found out by driving my normal route to work. I saw signs everywhere about a public auction for the furniture store, and followed the signs until I ended up there. At this auction, furniture prices would start as low as $25 and everyone who attended got huge steals! I actually purchased a couch and loveseat for $450 and sold them on Craigslist for $700- not a bad investment! I also found estate sales by just looking along the road to find signs.

2. 

   Another great avenue to find auctions and estate sales is through your local paper to see if any are advertised. The other great venue to check is those daily, free newspapers that get stuck in your mailbox. I found out about a storage unit sale this way- you can get some fantastic deals there!

3. 

   Finally check online. While many are listed on Craigslist, there is a website called www.auctionzip.com. The default setting is within 30 miles of your zip code so many might appear that you don't want to venture out that far to see. What is great about this site is it tells you location, date and time, as well as if there are any extra fees. This site is fantastic and I've been able to find estate sales, auctions, and real estate foreclosures via this website!

Tips & Warnings

• Check to see if there is a fee to go to an auction. While this is rare, sometimes there might be a fee associated just to attend.

• Also check to see what the percentage broker fee is- it can be as low as 5% and as much as 25% (or higher) so make sure you know what percentage will be added to your total purchase price before bidding!