After reviewing recent trends in the Central District’s curbside couch market, financial analysts are reportedly now advising prospective couch buyers to pay as much as $100K above the asking price for abandoned sofas.
“Long gone are the days where a two-income upper-middle class family could aspire to own both a home and a couch while their careers are still taking off,” says Samantha Sitwell, Chief Lending Officer at Sitwell Loans. “For most Seattle families looking for a place to sit, I’ve been advising them to start small, just to get into the market. Maybe a simple wooden stool or a couple of floor cushions left out on a wet lawn can help you build some equity so you can purchase that dream couch a few years down the line.”
While current couch-seekers and longtime Central District residents Arlene and Jason Campfield frequently notice the dilapidated couches sitting on a neighbors curb, with “FREE” scratched in sharpie on a soggy piece of cardboard, they now know better than to get duped by the deceptively low list prices.
“You see something you really like but within minutes 20 people have already put in their bids, many much higher than what the person who dragged their cat-scratched and center-sagging couch out to the curb listed it for,” said Arlene Campbell, eyeing a cute three-cushion that had been bought in the 90s for $250 and was recently snagged for $110K. “Most bids come from reupholsters with plans to tear the old couches apart and turn them into shiny new sectionals. It’s really a shame, actually. Most of these couches have long histories in this neighborhood, and sure, some may need a new cushion or a patch here and there, but most of them have really good bones.”
At press time, Jason Campbell was considering dragging the loveseat that had been in his family for generations out to the curb, hoping that a quick sale might cover the cost of a nice Lay-Z-Boy recliner in Renton.
