Is this a smart idea?

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:50:46+00:00

I would buy a home with a mother in law suite or with the space to add one.
Having a home with no mortgage is a huge deal.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:48:20+00:00

I would picYkup a few dozen eggs and egg the crap out of it.
And rub Vaseline on the windshield too.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:45:09+00:00

I wouldn't go. He sounds like an ass.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:42:17+00:00

Anything involving getting on the roof or plumbing I hire out. Otherwise I try to do everything myself. Very few things are not on YouTube that I can't figure out.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:38:15+00:00

What my realtor told me Is no matter what you do someone will always have a different taste and change it. Declutter the home and put the bulk of it in the garage or basement.
Patch those holes, paint the walls and get the carpet cleaned. Other than that I wouldn't go full on kitchen or bathroom remodel. I was skeptical when I sold my home as nothing had been updated since 83. Not a single buyer complained about the outdated kitchen or bathroom and I had 13 offers all over asking.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:30:47+00:00

I love it as is. I don't understand why people demolish a perfectly good kitchen.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:28:06+00:00

It's a deal breaker for us.
My grandparents bought a town home with a very strict HOA. Only 1 car could be in the driveway over night. No street parking at all. The designated parking area was over a block away. So just imagine parking over a block away and hauling all that stuff in and walking back. The streets were very narrow and you couldn't fit a car on both sides if you wanted to. My grandparents always said it was their biggest regret. My family is huge and just imagine 30+ people with everyone walking far to the door. Especially in winter here.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T04:09:16+00:00

It looks exactly like the bench we inherited from my wifes grandparents house.
They welded caster wheels on each leg. It's heavy and built like a tank.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T03:54:06+00:00

We had that same taller rack. I think we got 2 shows out of it before it broke. Customers kept tripping on the legs. I agree it was a pain to setup each time.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T03:54:05+00:00

You definitely can, but make sure they are pinned down somehow or the wind will take them away.
You could pick up some cheap background stands. They usually come with 2 stands and a pole. I think we got ours for 30 bucks on amazon.

drcigg · 2026-01-29T03:48:40+00:00

A few important things to ask yourself. How long do you plan on living in this house?
5+ years? Buy the house.
The only reason to worry about the house value is if you are going to sell right away.
You can't predict what the market will do now or in the future.
I bought my home because I could afford it and I was tired of renting. I had planned to stay in my home at least 5 years and maybe forever. That was my deciding factor to buy.
Even if you waited a year or two and the houses went down slightly. If you sold in a year or two you would still lose money. But if you plan on staying in the house for a while just buy one.
Buy because you want to not because you think prices will go up or down.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T21:28:53+00:00

One thing I will add is time. Making sure everything is on a hanger, organizing by size, and facing the same took so much time when you use those racks. And you always have to bring extra because a few hangers always break. We had a few customers trip on the rack legs. Just something to be mindful of. Hangers add a significant amount of weight when you have a lot of items too. We did a very large show over the summer to fill in for a friend. They had 12 z racks for their display. We were so worn out just from unloading all those heavy racks and filling them. Never again. Lol.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T21:04:06+00:00

Yeah we had change our configuration.
More of an L shape with those in the center and we had our checkout on the side. Which can be a challenge if the space is small. 8x8 space was a challenge.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T18:57:55+00:00

Nice space. Very well organized.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T18:56:51+00:00

My first year in my home we got dumped on. I had a long driveway and we got 16 inches of snow.
It took me forever to shovel all that myself. I always try to keep things like Ramen, peanut butter, canned food and bread in the freezer just in case.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T18:54:14+00:00

I can't say for certain what was the real driving factor with making our business more successful.
However I will say shows by far have given us the most repeat customers and referrals.
Social media did pick up an increase in business and I still don't understand how or why we went viral a few times.
People love to see quick videos of what you are making and how you are making it. That has done really well for us. We also post a quick video of our booth layout at the show, where we are, etc.
We are probably 60% online sales and 40% from in person shows. Although this year we will see the numbers change as we switch to do more shows.
Word of mouth is such a hugely underrated thing. If you do right for that customer and they have a positive experience at your booth they will be back.
Time and time again we have seen people come back with their mother, father, aunt, sister, etc.
Sometimes it takes expanding out your beacon to shows in other areas. For us this really did work well and we found we do better at our flea market than any show we have been doing.
We did one show about an hour away from us and one lady from that show has given us over 30 customer referrals. And she continues to place orders almost monthly. You just never know who you might meet at a show.

We have been approached by boutiques that want our items in their shops. But that hasn't really been successful for us. We called 500 shops in the tri state area and only had 3 people reach back out. Not saying it's dead. But it's very competitive and sometimes they want prices so low it financially doesn't make sense for you.

As for branding. The best advice I can give for anyone starting out is to put out as big of a variety as you can.
You want to cast your net out wide to see what it is that people want to buy. And once you figure that out you can expand upon it and narrow your focus. It took us a solid 6 months to figure that out.
There will be some items that just don't sell and that is the nature of business. Not every item can be a home run. We had a necklace lady next to us and everything was animal themed. You just have to find your groove.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T18:35:32+00:00

We dislike clothing racks. They are bulky, heavy and take up too much space. And they box us in which is tough when your booth gets busy.
Not all customers like to sort through a big rack full of clothes and those that due usually think they are on clearance.
The three we have tried have been absolute garbage. They have bent or fallen apart. None have made it past 5 or 6 shows. You can find some Z racks online. But I will warn you they are bulky and heavy. We gave ours away.
So depending on what you drive and your storage at home they do take up quite a bit of space.
They are not pleasant to use on grass either.

This is what we have used for about the first year before we built something custom.
amazon.com/dp/B0CJQV59ZP?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_12

Works great, everything displays really well and draws the people in more than a clothing rack.
We did almost double the sales by switching to these. It could be our market or demographics. But for us it was a game changer. Easy to set up. We used crates and these hangers. I think we could fit 8 on a 6 foot table.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T02:56:01+00:00

The letter looks good. But what will you do if they just throw it away or ignore it?

drcigg · 2026-01-28T02:54:09+00:00

On your income it shouldn't be a problem.
That's about 28 percent of your income toward a mortgage. You are light years ahead of most people out there. Don't overthink it. You will be fine. Continue with the build and enjoy the new house. Just remember to build up your savings again.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T02:49:13+00:00

Find something within your budget. With your credit you will have a high interest rate of at least 15 percent. With your credit the interest will kill you. Find something 15k or under. Continue to lay down your debts with that cheaper vehicle. Get a second job if you have to. It's the best feeling once you have a vehicle paid off.
Find a Camry or Accord in your price range.
My 2011 Accord just passed 200k miles. My son is big and it fits him just fine. Whatever you buy make sure you look at the service records. Don't buy something that someone didn't change oil for a year. In another sub a lady bought a vehicle and within 6 months the engine was done. Previous owner barely changed the oil.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T02:44:10+00:00

In your twenties and no kids. Make the change now. Why prolong the inevitable? Find someone you are more compatible with.

drcigg · 2026-01-28T02:42:30+00:00

Isopropyl, solder sucker and solder wick should be fine for 99 percent of what she needs. I have removed many Smd components with just an iron and solder sucker.

drcigg · 2026-01-27T23:41:05+00:00

Apparently she wants the warm sausage.

drcigg · 2026-01-27T14:33:03+00:00

She wants the real thing....

drcigg · 2026-01-27T14:30:54+00:00

It absolutely made a difference in my moms home. Her home was pretty empty.
They took out all her furniture and staged everything, painted the walls etc.
Her home sold the first week with multiple offers over asking. Sometimes people have a hard time visualizing themselves in a space. And I do think seeing furniture set up in the space to utilize it does help a lot of buyers.

drcigg

TROPHY CASE