Pianos Disappearing from Homes

Piano retailers and manufacturers are closing their doors across North America and elsewhere as the public appetite for the expensive, space-consuming instruments dims.

Declining sales have plagued the industry for years and was exacerbated by the Great Recession. In many cases, pianos that once would have been resold are simply hauled to the trash dump.

“In our industry, it’s not as drastic as the computer replacing the typewriter,” said Ted Good, president of Ohio’s only dealer for new Steinway & Sons pianos, “it’s just changing.” The company, he said, has seen flat sales for the last five years.

PianoIn today’s fast-moving culture, shrinking homes and even competition with sports and video games have affected sales, according to industry experts and piano store owners. Nationwide sales dropped by half in a 20-year period, from nearly 175,000 in 1987 to 62,500 in 2007, according to the Bluebook of Pianos.

Bob Russell, a registered piano technician in Ohio runs a third-generation business. He said the piano business may be have been affected by some drastic changes in society but he still tunes close to 1,500 pianos a year. He believes new piano sales will continue to be flat for a while because of influences like a saturated market of used pianos.

“The problem with new piano sales is they’re competing with hundreds of thousands of pianos sold 10 years ago,” said Russell, “Ten years on a new piano is nothing. It’s like 5,000 miles on a car.”

From used and refurbished pianos to much less expensive brands and models, the piano’s biggest competition has probably been digital pianos – or even cheaper, digital keyboards that are sold in retailers that range from Kmart to Costco.

An electronic keyboard can be purchased for less than $200, while a standard piano may cost from $5,000 to $250,000. And the keyboard is portable, while the piano is a heavyweight consumer of large spaces in a home.

 

Shift From Suburbs to Cities a Costly Move

citycondosMore Americans say they want the shorter commutes and nearby entertainment that come with living near the city center and they are shelling out big bucks to make that choice.

This marks a shift away from suburban demand, which has driven home construction for decades, The Associated Press reports. Living near city centers is often more costly and may force more Americans to rent, says John Mcllwain, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute. “Middle-class Americans are being squeezed out,” he says.

Land prices in cities with attractive amenities is surging, industry strategist and George Washington University professor Christopher Leinberger says.

The convenience of living downtown doesn’t come cheap. In Chattanooga, Tenn., for example, the starting price for a townhome development in the downtown area – with restaurants, stores and a waterfront park – is $610,000. That’s nearly three times the average in the metro area.

In 2012, homebuilder Toll Brothers spent $24 million to buy two-thirds of an acre near Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. That’s the equivalent of about $830 a square foot. Before the ballpark was there, the going rate was about $5 a square foot for the land.

In Chicago, a complex of 47 luxury row houses in the downtown area broke ground last month and every apartment was sold before construction began. Units start at $562,900. Buyers were willing to wait 12 to 16 months before being able to move in.

The American Planning Association says that even though 40 percent of Americans live in a suburb “where most people drive to places,” only 7 percent expressed a desire to remain in car-dominated neighborhoods.

 

Oversizing

5x10-with-furniture-2    In the years that I have been operating storage facilities there remains one consistency…..people always think they need a bigger size storage unit than what is actually needed.

Before using storage, it is a good idea to think things through, and decide what you would like your storage unit to do for you. For example: if you are going to be leaving your belongings stored away while out of town or just not using them, then you want to get the smallest possible unit, and pack everything tightly. If you have decided that using a storage unit will be part of your new lifestyle either from not having enough room, or moving from a large house into an apartment or condo, you may want to get a storage unit 35% bigger than what you had expected just to allow yourself the room inside to make seasonal changes, or to locate stored items much easier. Whatever the end result is for you, either bigger or smaller, you will enjoy your storage experience much more if you think these things through, and work with your property manager to make the right decision.

I would really enjoy getting some feedback from you readers out there, concerning my blog. Those of you who take the time to write a comment will receive 1/2 off of their application fee when leasing a unit from me. Hope to hear from you!

Tom