Despite the crummy real estate market and generally listing economy, now is a good time to go furniture shopping, apparently. That’s partly because consolidation and increased competition has squeezed out everyone except for discount-happy big box retailers in some cities, and partly because business is down overall this year so everyone is trying to attract more customers with markdowns.

But “shopping for furniture is treacherous,” says the editor of ConsumerAffairs.com in the Times article. Here are five things to do to avoid paying too much, buying the wrong piece, or not getting what you thought you paid for.

• Research – “approach furniture buying as you would car buying”
• Room Plans – use available services to enter your room measurements and avoid the “scale problem” (buying something that looks like will fit just fine, but doesn’t)
• Store Visit – take as long as you can to sit, open and close, and generally inspect every inch, or find an outlet or furniture warehouse and shop there to ensure the model you examine is the product you’ll receive
• Delivery – your best bet is to buy what you want off the floor, load it yourself into your van or truck, and get the hell out of there
• Laways and Financing – avoid these like Britney avoids panties

“A Good Time to Sharpen Furniture Shopping Skills” [New York Times]

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