Garage sales a part of the business for Ottawa realtor

Realtor Joanne Batchelor was brand new to Canada’s largest charity garage sale, but it certainly was not her first rodeo.

Ottawa added its first entry in Royal LePage’s 10^th Annual National Garage Sale for Shelter fundraiser that took place Saturday, May. 12. It is billed as the largest charity garage sale in Canada and has raised close to $3 million in support of women’s shelters, violence prevention initiatives and teen healthy relationship programs across the country. More than 80 garage sales across Canada will help support this initiative in 2018.

Joanne, her husband John and their daughter Julia hosted Ottawa’s first location in the Manotick area.

“This is the first time I’ve done one in support of the national program,” Batchelor told OttawaMatters.com during a break in the action just before lunch. “I saw there was no one in the Ottawa area so I thought we needed one too.”

If you are a ‘garage sale person’ you know you got to get there early.

“You like those early birds because you know they want to buy,” Batchelor said. “But at the same time, you are still getting set up and they can get in the way.”

Batchelor says garage sales are a unique and important part of her business. She has a lot of older clients who are looking at downsizing. She will bring in an expert appraiser, value the stuff that’s going, start by posting on Kijiji, organize garage sales and auctions and make sure her clients are getting good value for their stuff.

“I love doing it, and I love making my clients money,” she said. “Not a lot of my colleagues do it and are surprised when I tell them I do it. I have an older client list and it’s a service they need. I now actually get calls for people looking for particular items they’re hoping to buy.”

Batchelor says the proceeds from these sales go entirely back to the client or a charity her clients are hoping to support.

“They don’t want to throw out this stuff because it has value,” Batchelor said.

Batchelor says she is involved in about 20 sales (either garage or estate) each season, she only does this in the nicer months. She keeps it fun and makes sure she enjoys the work too.

“I enjoy networking with people and garage sales are a great way to do that,” Batchelor said.

She hopes to keep growing the annual Garage Sale for Shelter fundraiser as well.

“Hopefully we will grow each and every year,” Batchelor said. “I’m going to start promoting it at all the other sales I attend.”