The most expensive thing about a house is generally the house itself. Take one quick look at the balance of your mortgage and you will real away in shock. However, there are lots of things inside your home that you could use to make some serious money.
You may have looked away in disgust at programs like Cash in the Attic, but maybe they are actually on to something there? Let’s look at what the program is about, how it can help you and what else you can do with what’s in your home to make money.
The Cash in the Attic Formula
Cash in the Attic is a program where people show up with old trinkets and ask this famous valuation person if it could be worth something. He then looks at it and quickly dismisses them, smashing their hopes and dreams at family fortune by telling them it’s a cheap replica, probably bought from Poundland or Wal-Mart.
However, with every program, there is at least one who turns out to have a handwritten letter by Mark Twain, a sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci or jewelry worn by royalty. These people then make thousands and thousands of pounds and are filmed with a look of utter surprise on their face. They never would’ve thought that they had anything of value. This is, of course, a blatant lie, otherwise they would have never come to the valuation person, but that’s beside the point.
Now, nobody is suggesting that you definitely have some sort of priceless artefact in your attic, loft, basement or garage, but you will have stuff in there that you don’t need any more. However, you may no longer need it, but there was a time that you were desperate for that specific item. And somebody will be desperate for it now, so get selling. And, who knows, that priceless artefact may be hidden in there somewhere too.
Make Money Doing Things that You Love
Your other option is to use the tools and things in your home to do something you absolutely love and turn that hobby into money. Perhaps you can use old clothing and other haberdashery to make funky jewelry and accessories. Perhaps you are a great cook and want to get into cake decorating for instance. These are all things you can do from home, using the things you have around you anyway. All of these things require minimal investment and minimal advertising. It’s unlikely that it will make you rich, but it will give you something to do and it will earn you some extra cash at least.
Give Others a Home
Your last option to make money out of your home is to become a landlord. You could turn your house into a B&B or you could take on a lodger, for instance. So long as you have the space in your home to do that, there is nothing stopping you. There are also more and more people who have an “at home restaurant”, where people can make reservations and literally dine in your living room, after you have cooked them first.
You do have to remember that if you opt for any of these scenarios, you need to check whether you are allowed to run a business from home and you are likely to need public liability insurance as well. After all, you are responsible for the people that come into your home.
Whichever option you go for, you will quickly come to understand why you should opt for Swinton contents insurance After all, whether you need protection for that priceless heirloom, your cookery utensils or your tenants belongings, you need to make sure you are covered.
Photo credit: Pamla J. Eisenberg