March 3, 2025
Homebuyer’s Remorse: I Hate My House, Now What?
Buying a home is a huge milestone, but what happens when it doesn’t feel like the dream you imagined? If you’re experiencing homebuyer’s remorse...
It doesn’t matter if you’re moving into a studio apartment or a multi-level home — furniture costs add up fast. In fact, furniture is one of the biggest expenses people have when moving, leaving new homeowners wondering how to afford furniture for a new house and renters wondering how to furnish their first apartment without blowing through their budget.
The good news is you don’t have to go into debt buying brand-new furniture to fill your new place. You can easily find quality furniture without spending a fortune; you just need to know where to look. Before we get into the best ways to buy furniture (and pay less while doing so), it’s important to understand how much furniture costs and why it’s so expensive to begin with.
Furniture prices can vary depending on the space you’re furnishing and the type of furniture you get. Opendoor estimates that a studio or one-bedroom apartment can cost $3,000–$12,000 to furnish on a midrange budget, while a 4-bedroom home can run $25,000+. A primary bedroom alone usually costs between $3,000 and $6,000 to furnish.
People are often surprised by how expensive furniture can be, with many first-time shoppers wondering how the heck it costs so much. Many factors make quality furniture a high-ticket item.
High-quality materials can increase the cost of furniture. Solid wood, leather, and high-end fabrics are all expensive materials. However, these pieces tend to last for a decade or more, which can be well worth it in the long run.
Investing in high-quality furniture at the start can ensure you have more reliable pieces that you won’t have to worry about replacing anytime soon.
Inexpensive furniture is typically made of cheaper materials like particleboard or medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which can lower cost but compromise durability. Cheaper furniture can work in the short term, but it can end up costing you more over time if you have to replace it often.
Well-made furniture can sometimes require skilled artisans who take the time to create each piece. Furniture manufacturers pay these craftsmen a premium, thereby increasing furniture costs.
A handmade artisan piece of furniture is not only useful for your home but can also be a beautiful heirloom work of art for you to pass down through your family.
The cost of manufacturing furniture includes the price of materials, equipment, facilities, and utilities. These costs are passed on to the customer, which can contribute to high furniture prices.
Even if furniture isn’t 100% hand-built by artisans, it can still require more effort, nicer machinery, and more time for production. All those costs are built into the price you pay at the store.
Consider how much space just your apartment furniture takes up in a moving truck. Now imagine multiplying that hundreds of times for bulk furniture orders.
Shipping furniture from the manufacturer to the store or customer can be expensive, and these costs are passed along to the buyer. In addition, furniture needs to be stored in a warehouse, which increases overall costs.
Furniture showrooms often have to pay for high rent and operating costs in large buildings. Plus, they have employee salaries and other retail expenses to pay.
All these costs add up, so they have to raise furniture prices to cover them. Even business expenses like marketing and advertising are passed on to the customer, too.
Despite the high cost of furniture, you can still find ways to save money when buying what you need for your new home. Here are a few tips and tricks to buy furniture without burning your budget.
Asking yourself, “Where can I buy inexpensive furniture?” Used furniture stores like CORT Furniture Outlet are one of the best ways to score a deal on furniture. These discounted furniture stores offer new and used furniture at lower prices, offering you more wallet-friendly options.
While you can also buy secondhand furniture through online marketplaces or thrift shops (more on that soon), they don’t have return policies like outlet stores tend to. Outlets help you get more for less without feeling completely locked into the furniture you selected if it doesn’t work out in your space.
Websites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay are great places to find inexpensive furniture.
However, buying furniture from an online marketplace comes with risks. Items may not match what was listed online, sellers may take your payment and run without actually giving you the furniture, and you have to worry about meeting up with strangers. If you choose this route, take the proper precautions. Use cash whenever possible, and meet buyers in a neutral location, preferably with a friend by your side.
Be sure to check the condition of any furniture before bringing it inside your home. Look for mold, bed bugs, and other hazards, and try to clean any items first.
Estate sales are a great place to find high-quality furniture at a fraction of the retail price. These sales often feature well-maintained antique or vintage furniture. However, estate sales can be competitive, and the best deals often go quickly. Make sure to show up early, browse the sale beforehand, and come with a game plan.
If you’re in a time crunch, estate sales may not be the best option. However, if you have the time, you can uncover some real gems. Estate sales can also be great for finding accent pieces after you’ve already bought your core furniture items.
Thrift stores are another excellent option for finding inexpensive furniture. You can find many furniture styles and materials, and the prices are often reasonable.
A significant downside to secondhand stores is that furniture may be damaged or stained. Check the condition of the furniture from top to bottom before purchasing anything. You may not be able to return the piece once you buy it, but with some elbow grease, you can give old furniture a new life.
If you need a furniture set, ask the sales clerk whether buying multiple pieces could score you a discount. Often, it will! For example, instead of buying a sofa, accent chair, coffee table, and side table separately, bundle them together in a living room set and save. Furniture stores need to move inventory quickly, so the more you buy, the more you may save.
Garage sales are another excellent way to find inexpensive furniture. You might stumble across a wide range of furniture styles and materials, and the prices are usually low. The main advantage of garage sales is that the prices are also often negotiable.
However, the downside is that garage sale shopping can be very time-intensive. Typically, you don’t know what kind of furniture a garage sale will have, so it’s a shot in the dark whether or not it will have what you need, and you may need to hit up multiple sales before finding the right pieces.
Furniture can be expensive. If a new piece isn’t in your budget, consider upcycling something you already have. For example, if you have a decent piece of furniture that isn’t the right color, you could paint it, reupholster it, or get fabric covers. You can also upcycle used furniture that isn’t perfect for your home.
If you need your furniture to perform a different task, you can repurpose it. That dusty bookcase could make for great storage in your shed. Have an old dining table and chairs that don’t get used much? Consider painting them and moving them outside for a fresh patio furniture set.
Sometimes the question isn’t how to save on furniture but how to avoid overspending. Here are some common mistakes shoppers make that can lead to you shelling out more than necessary when furnishing your space.
Before you start shopping, set a firm budget — and stick to it. It’s easy to justify upgrades one at a time (like better fabric, a more interesting color, a larger size, or a matching ottoman) when you don’t have a pre-determined price cap in mind. Without that firm budget, the final price can increase fast.
Trendy colors, shapes, or materials can feel exciting in the moment, but they’ll look dated quickly. You don’t want to spend more money replacing statement pieces than you would have if you chose timeless staples from the start. And if you want a touch of trendiness, decor pieces are usually the more affordable option.
Unless you’re interested in a very unique item, be sure to cross-shop. The same or very similar furniture may be sold under different brands or at different retailers. If you skip comparison shopping, you may end up paying hundreds more than necessary.
Matching bedroom, living room, and dining sets can be convenient — and bundles may come with savings — but they aren’t always the best value. Mixing pieces can look more personal, cost less, and give you more freedom to shop across multiple retailers or second-hand. However, if that matching set is the most affordable option, definitely go for it!
A piece of furniture can have an affordable price tag but wind up outside your budget once delivery, haul-away, restocking, or other fees are tacked on. Be sure you’re looking at the total cost before committing to an item.
While staring at a half-empty room can be frustrating, avoid the temptation to buy everything you need in one go. Furnishing an entire room immediately can lead to rushed decisions and buying pieces outside your budget. You can invest in the essentials first and layer in accents over time. With a bit of patience, you can get better options and spend less money.
When furnishing your new place, finding high-quality, affordable furniture may feel challenging. You can turn to CORT Furniture Outlet for new and gently used furniture and decor for your entire home at up to 70% off retail prices.
CORT Furniture Outlet pieces start their lives as rentals at CORT. After the rental life cycle is complete, our experts inspect, clean, and perform any necessary repairs. Then, it’s ready for a new life at CORT Furniture Outlet. That means we can offer great products at a discount while keeping them out of the landfill — and you don’t have to worry about the condition and cleanliness of the items you buy. Visit your local CORT Furniture Outlet in-store or browse online today to check out our ever-changing selection.
