“When storage units are abandoned, the treasures within are put up for auction.”
If you’ve ever watched the reality show, “Storage Wars”, you’ve heard these words before every episode. Treasure hunters bid on delinquent storage units hoping to find booty and valuables to make their bids worthwhile. It’s spawned a spinoff and several versions across the globe.
In Brookings, South Dakota the owner of a home purchased to flip decided to auction off the contents of the garage in the style of the show. Tom Steffensen bought the home from an elderly man and then gutted and rehabbed the inside and out to sell. But what to do with the stuff in the garage?
There was an 1890 antique pump organ along with boxes of household items, chairs and other memories of the long life of the former owner. But to have a garage sale meant going through all the contents of all the boxes and then deciding prices for each of them. The whole idea seemed exhausting.
Steffensen’s friend and auctioneer was the one who suggested the “Storage Wars” solution.
“I don’t really care what I get for it, I just want to get rid of it,” he said.
Steffensen spent a little money promoting the auction, a line ad in the local paper and shopping newsletter and one on Craigslist. He really only wanted the garage empty so any extra cash would just be a bonus.
So what happened?
Well, not much. About 15 people showed up to poke around. Steffensen handled it just like the show; attendees would only get five minutes to browse the garage and then the auction would begin.
When the door opened, what everyone saw first was that ornate antique pump organ, made of cherry-colored wood, sitting just inside. Also crammed into the space were plenty of cardboard boxes and more stuff left over from a pretty normal life.
Steffensen tentatively started the bidding at $50. He got it, and continued in increments of $50 until he reached $495. At this point, a truck and big black trailer parked across the street. A man who owns a pawn shop/antiques/thrift store jumped out and began to bid feverishly. By the end only this man and another couple were still in the race. The price went up to $530 before finally settling on his bid of $540.
Did he find anything wonderful? Not so far. No sarcophaguses, crown jewels or even a stuffed moose. Just pretty normal stuff. But Steffensen got his garage emptied within an hour and made over $500 bucks so everyone wins if not winning big.
Have you ever been tempted to just auction off the mess in your garage instead of cleaning it? Do you think you could generate interest in your lawn chairs, broken power tools and skis you were too afraid to try twice? Raynor Garage Doors of KC has given you tips on spring cleaning and floor covering to neaten up and protect your garage but admit it, sometimes you’d just like to start over.
So if you ever manage to sell all your stuff in one fell swoop why not reward yourself with a new garage door to complement your empty but soon-to-be filled-again space? Raynor Garage Doors can complement your home, secure those new belongings and heck, maybe even protect your car now that it fits inside. We have many, many choices to give your home a new look so take a look at our website or just give us a call at (913) 766-2366!
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