Six furniture buying mistakes that people make

After your home and your car, your furniture is probably the third largest investment you’ll make. While buying the wrong piece of furniture isn’t nearly as bad as buying the wrong house or the wrong car, it’s still a costly mistake that you either need to live with for a while, or spend some money to fix it. Here are six of the most common mistakes homeowners make when buying furniture.

Not measuring enough

You cannot measure enough times. Measure the space, measure the furniture you’re considering, measure the space again, then for good measure (ha!) measure the furniture again. It’s said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail and that’s certainly the case with furniture buying. Not only do you need to make sure the furniture fits in the space you intend it to go, but you have to make sure it fits in all the doorways, elevators, and stairwells between the store and that place as well.

Furniture that doesn’t match the rest of the home

Just because you like the look of a certain piece on the showroom floor doesn’t mean you’ll like how it looks in your home. Ask the store clerk for a swatch of the fabric, or at least the color, so you can take it home and look at it side-by-side with your paint color, flooring, and other furniture in the room.

Furniture that doesn’t fit with your lifestyle

Some people get so caught up in the appearance of the furniture that they never stop to think about the potential problems. Certain materials are delicate and probably aren’t a good choice if you have kids or pets. Light colors are going to stain more easily and should be avoided in households with pets or young children. It seems silly, but some people purchase furniture that achieve the look they’re going for but isn’t actually comfortable.

Being too much in a hurry to buy

People will sometimes spend months finding the home that’s just right. They may spend weeks finding the right car. At the very least, plan to spend a few days selecting furniture. Don’t head to the nearest furniture store, pick everything you want in an hour, swipe your card and have it all delivered that very week. Shop around, give yourself time to find deals, and make purchases at several different locations.

Give no thought to maintenance

Some pieces of furniture will require more in the way of maintenance than others. Ask the store clerk when buying something with wood about the finish and how to properly take care of it. Do the same in regards to fabrics and leathers as well.

Spending too much

Furniture stores rope you in with a zero percent introductory rate on a store credit card and then they approve you for an amount much larger than you were planning to spend. But stick with your budget and never spend more than you can afford to repay. If you do decide to apply for a store credit card, be absolutely certain you can pay it off in full before the introductory period is up or you’ll pay interest retroactively to the time of purchase.

Source: US News

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