Have you ever walked through a model home and admired the furnishings? Have you seen a piece that would fit perfectly in your home and wish you could get it? Well, you can and for much less than buying at a retail furniture store. You can buy model home furniture if you know what you’re doing.

All the big developers like Pulte, Meritage, and Beazer buy attractive furniture for their models to help sell the unit. When the development is fully sold, they typically auction off the furnishings in the model homes. What you have to do is this.

Talk to the development’s sales manager and get an idea of ​​when the closing will be and what auction service they will use. Typically, these auction services will only invite development owners and members to the auction.

Once you have the name of the auction service, you can search the web for it and see how much it costs to be a member. This usually costs about $30 a year and entitles you to be in the auction, provides mailings with auction times and dates, and shows photos of things to be sold. Once you have this, you are good to go.

The auction is normally held in the largest room in the house. A development of four models can easily have 200 items in the block. These auctions are cash only and you usually have two hours to remove the item from the site. There are no minimum initial offers. The people at the auction determine exactly what an item will go for.

You can save a lot of money at these auctions and it’s a great way to add a new piece to your home on a budget. However, an excellent idea is to try to find the piece you are interested in online to see what it would go for at a discount furniture dealer. Armed with that information, you’ll be in a better position to bid wisely.

A deposit If you have a large house and the model is a smallish townhouse, the furniture may be a little smaller than standard. Smaller furniture makes a small space seem larger and is a common marketing practice. Measure the piece you are interested in before buying it and regret it when you get home.

So you can buy model home furniture and it can actually be fun if you enjoy auctions.