First home buyer here. The new home will be 2300 Sqft. I am trying to convince my partner that we need at least 20K to furnish. Is anyone currently furnishing a home? Am I out of touch here? Also, if you have tips on sourcing excellent quality furniture, I am all ears.

3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a basement. We've lived in a one bedroom apartment and have minimal furniture right now.

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20k is in range. We just bought a new house and that's about what we spent on mid range furniture. Figure $5k for a master bedroom, another $5k for living room, $3k for kitchen/dining, $3k for window treatments, $2k each for office and outdoor furniture.

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These figures also roughly mirror what we spent to furnish a 3BR (one of which is completely empty right now, though).

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All depends on your priorities. In general, I would NOT rush into furnishing the whole home. Find pieces you love and save/buy one at a time. It's a good idea to set a budget, but it's a lot to spend at once on top of the down payment and moving costs. I've personally lived in my new 5BR home 1.5 years and not a single room is done but coming together beautifully over time by adding a rug here, a mirror there, etc. Only exception I've made is purchasing a couple beds in a box for guests. $20k is more than reasonable for my taste! Haven't even gotten to decor yet.

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Does no one use fb marketplace at all to furnish homes?

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Ya or check everything in detail

You could estimate about $1200 per each piece of furniture. A pretty decent couch is $1000- $1500. A chair is about the same. About the same for a bureau. $2000 for an 8x10 rug.
Of course, you can go crazy, but in my experience pricier doesn’t equal better quality. For example, Pottery barn is crap for the price. Our local furniture store is much much better quality, for 1/3 price. Better customer service too.
For smaller pieces- coffee tables etc- you can spend way less.

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You can get anything at any price- including free from Marketplace, or an arm & leg at Design Within Reach. Lounge type chairs are not much cheaper than a couch, surprisingly. For estimating purposes, it’s a few hundred either way.
Real Persian rugs are $7k-$20k+.
Substantial all wool rugs are about $2k
Polyester mats are $100ish for 8x10.
And there is everything in between.

Sounds about right. Coffee tables cost $600, nightstands/side tables $300-400, couches $3500. I just dropped 5k on your living room right there.

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What do they think it’s going to cost, or does the $20k estimate scare them? One thing you could do is furnish the place over time vs. all at once if spending that amount is what stresses them out.

I don’t know why, but that amount does seem like a lot unless you’re intent on higher end. Maybe I’m way off base. We bought a bigger house a few years ago and don’t think we spent nearly that much.

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Also, try Craigslist etc for lamps, tables — really good brand name stuff for a good discount. Consignment, etc.

I furnished a 3 bed 2 bath with $6k (Amazon + Costco + Sam's club + Target + Wayfair + home Depot + IKEA) + deals + marketplace + craigslist. I still get so many compliments. It can be done with some patience.

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Area rugs can be deceivingly expensive. I've gotten some nice ones from rugs USA. Especially if you keep an eye out for sales, you can get a pretty good deal.

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My area rugs were bought on discount for $80 each 2 years ago, either sam's club or Costco, can't remember

It doesn’t have to be all at once. Start with a good couch and a bed. Expand piece by piece and room by room. I have a 1200sq ft basement that is largely unfurnished

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Buy as little as possible at first. Spend a month living in it sparingly. Then, GO SLOW on furnishing. And remember.....we work jobs we hate, for shit we don't need.

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Dang. Meanwhile... im comfortably chilling in my 2 bedroom unit having spent less than 800 total. Does buying a home change you?

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Nah I have cheap furniture. It's fine.

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Sounds reasonable. You may even run higher than that. But you don’t need to do it all at once

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if you lived in one bedroom apt start with one bedroom set up for now. you can fill up rest of the house one bedroom at a time. personally i find furniture waste of money. i would look for things thst improves your living than whAt goes with what set up.

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Your partner is paying for the furniture?! I’m working for the wrong firm!

But in all seriousness that’s probably about right. Also no need to furnish immediately after the purchase. No one is going to judge you for furnishing over the next year or two as long as you have basics down

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Wow, people talking about $2k rugs, I picked up big rugs from Costco or Sam's club for $80 each and I thought that was expensive

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I see, I guess i am not as big of a different material user when it comes to choosing between spending almost 30 times the cost.

But your response does help me understand why the other rugs are so expensive.

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I am in the same boat and it's overwhelming in terms of the expense and also in terms of the amount of decision making necessary. Here's my approach:

1. Create and align on moodboards for each space so you have a good idea of the colors/style/vibe.
2. Subscribe to home/furniture websites so you can hear about sales. Periodically go on Nextdoor or Facebook marketplace or Craiglist to check for things that fit the moodboard. Be opportunistic and open minded. Sometimes you can just paint something bought for significantly less and it works well.
3. Buy things iteratively.
Ex) We have 2 comfy chairs in our living room right now because we haven't decided on our big sectional purchase and it works for now. The MVP for a living room is a TV and seating and we have that so it's fine until we get our bigger pieces.
4. Prioritize. My partner and I discussed what items we want to spend more on versus not. Some things are IKEA and some things are more expensive.

Maybe everything adds up to $20k or not depending on your finds, but this way you can buy things with intention and you can spread out your purchases a bit. Hope this helps!

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I use FB marketplace and Craigslist. I spent to much on a bed but my back stopped hurting

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I've found decent stuff on target, it's not the lowest priced stuff on the site though. I've gotten Ikea and west elm and shopped overstock, all modern, and Wayfair. I have had good luck with largs safeviah wool rugs ~500 and patio furniture at the last 3 places. Take your time, you can use your current basics until you get settled. I've owned 3 houses (one I built) and rented a ton and never put out that level of $$$$. Basically, my college crap evolved into stuff that makes home feel comfortable and safe and that takes a hot minute to figure out. I do like new shit though. And shopping for deals 😉

Sounds high but again with inflation I might be out of touch. My 4 bed 3 bath used less than 3-3.5k to be fully furnished 2-3 years ago. I purchased from rooms to go and Ashley.

The $20k is a solid budget for the house- whether you do it all at once or a room at a time.

This is going to sound insane when I say it, but find a designer to help you with the common areas. Some will put together a plan with guidelines for how big furniture should be and what furniture you need, and then you can furnish yourself over time.

Brace yourself for the cost of window treatments!

Congrats on the home OP!

Window treatments for a new home??

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