In this past year, the housing market in Canada has skyrocketed, as the pandemic caused people to take a fresh look at their living situation and reconsider living elsewhere.
Most articles about the current housing market tend to focus on sale prices alone. They speak in incredulous terms about the ever-increasing cost of houses in Toronto, Vancouver and elsewhere. But one often unlooked facet of the recent trend in real estate is the rise in Canadians moving.
Moving can often be an expensive, exhausting experience. It costs money to hire movers, buy cleaning supplies and rebuy home essentials once you are settled. Add to that the physical and mental exertion required to pack, donate or discard your possessions, and moving can get overwhelming.
In this post, let’s explore a few ways you can use an upcoming move to your advantage. If you’re one of the thousands of Canadians moving homes this summer, follow these tips for making money in the process.
Sell Your Scrap Metal
Not enough people know this tip: you can actually make money from some of your junk. If you have metal lying around – either in the form of scrap metal, old electronics or appliances – a scrap yard will pay you for it.
All you have to do is contact a metal recycling company and tell them what you have. They take all sorts of stuff you might otherwise throw out:
- Ferrous metals like cast iron, iron and stainless steel. This includes cars, kitchen appliances, microwaves and rotors.
- Non-ferrous metals like brass, copper, lead and aluminum. This includes batteries, transformers, cables, and any other household items containing non-ferrous metal.
- Electronic waste like TVs, DVD players, computers and keyboards.
This essentially kills two birds with one stone. It allows you to declutter for the big move and make some money while you’re at it.
Credit: Laker Via Pexels
Find a New Home for Unwanted Furniture
Next to scrap metal, furniture is often the largest offloaded material before a big move. While there are several ways to sell furniture – at an auction house, through a local furniture dealer, etc. – the best way is from the comfort of your home computer.
Auctions and dealers tend to take a significant percentage of the selling price for furniture. However, with online marketplaces like Craigslist, Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, you are the sole recipient of a sale price.
Sell Books to a Used Book Store
You don’t realize how many books you own until you have to move. Books are frequently offloaded during a move because they are heavy and easily replaced. While you can do the charitable thing and donate your books to a local library or school, you can also make money from them. Take your books to a used book store; they will not give you anywhere near full price, but they often offer fair compensation.
If you count yourself among the droves of Canadians moving soon, use the experience as an opportunity to make money. Selling your scrap metal, furniture and books can help offset the costs of moving.