Opportunity for me - should I take it and how?

I have the opportunity to basically purchase for dirt cheap a baby grand piano. I am a pianist and I think this may be the only way for me to actually get one without taking out a loan.

Story: It was given to the school I teach music in by someone who donated it when someone died. It has a remembrance plaque on it. It is on a triangle support system, has a bench and a beautiful cover. It's sound board is in good condition and is not cracked. It is woodgrain - and for the life of me I can't remember the brand - I'll go up tomorrow and look.

So I told the head of my department that I'd like to have the piano. He said I could have it for a 1000 dollar donation to the department for legitimacy reasons and if I find transport for it.

Should I take it? Any other neat ways to think about payment options? I have to go measure and see if I will be able to put it upstairs......I'd have to give it more thought if I had to keep it downstairs.

How much does a new piano of the same quality cost? If it is more than 2000, I would say go for it. A well taken care of quality instrument can last a lifetime, as I am sure you know.

If you don't have it up front, try to make arrangements for a payment plan. If you have it, fork it out and get it over with. It is a tax deduction.

You're right - it will be a tax deduction - new pianos of the same brand and quality would be at least 14,000

Absolutely buy it! There aren't that many chances in life to get something like that for a thousand bucks.

Absolutely get it! It sounds like an opportunity you might regret passing up!

Go for it! No idea how you'd transport it though...

Originally Posted by sarahp

Go for it! No idea how you'd transport it though...

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That can be pricey, too. I would call around and find out the price of that first. Although, it will still be a great price, but will put the cost possibly up to $500.00 more and maybe even more.

Well, if you think you would use it and it wouldn't just sit there taking up space, then you should get it.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Moving it will automatically require it to be retuned (or whatever the term is). Not to mention the expense of moving it.

2. Maintenance of it. I don't play piano, but I suspect that things break and need to be cleaned and cared for.

3. Space. It could easily take up an entire room on it's own unless it's one of those that sit against a wall.

4. Do you live in a house or an apartment? If you live in an apartment, I would pass on it, because you will make a great number of enemies if you start banging away on a piano. I know I'd be livid if my neighbour did that, no matter what the time of day.

5. Moving it in the event of a future move. (moving expense and tuning)

6. Will you actually use it or is it novelty?

Things you can do to raise money to pay it: Give piano lessons

An opportunity like that I wouldn't pass up, but if I had limited space or something I would leave it be and maybe something else will eventually come up?

At the end of the day, only you can decide my friend!

Thanks for all your advice everyone - I'm going to check with my department head on a payment plan and we've been planning another thousand on top of the cost of the piano just for moving and tuning.

We'd definitely have to hire a piano moving company and I'm not sure how they'd get it upstairs.

1. Moving it will automatically require it to be retuned (or whatever the term is). Not to mention the expense of moving it. Yup a friend of DH's does this.

2. Maintenance of it. I don't play piano, but I suspect that things break and need to be cleaned and cared for. Things do break and we'll have to replace the hammers sometime.

3. Space. It could easily take up an entire room on it's own unless it's one of those that sit against a wall. That's my main question right now. If we put it down stairs we will have to adjust how we do christmas.

4. Do you live in a house or an apartment? If you live in an apartment, I would pass on it, because you will make a great number of enemies if you start banging away on a piano. I know I'd be livid if my neighbour did that, no matter what the time of day. I live in my own condo with no one below me and I'm an end unit. I currently have two digital pianos that are used each week because of lessons. I practice on them and my students play on them.

5. Moving it in the event of a future move. (moving expense and tuning) yup

6. Will you actually use it or is it novelty? Like I said before, I am a pianist. I'm not one of those people who pretend they are a pianist and can only play one song. So I wouldn't consider this a novelty at all. I've taken piano lessons for 15 years of my life (phew that's half!) and I've taught lessons for 11 years.

Things you can do to raise money to pay it: Give piano lessons already do

If that's what a new baby grand would cost, you'd be a fool to pass on this one at that price. Even if its another few hundred to move it and to get it fixed/tuned its still a bargin.

BTW I understand you don't want non-professionals moving those large pianos - you need to hire professional piano movers!

definitely - I wouldn't want the lid to fall off because the weight of it stripped the screws!

How often will a oppurtunity like this ever come up again..I'd say go for it....

This sounds like the bargain of the century. As a pianist, I am sure that you know the correct movers.

I would vote for putting it downstairs if you plan to give lessons on it as well as play it. So, you get a beautiful Christmas cloth to put on top of the piano, a fake little tree (no water!) to put on top of it, and scatter the presents around.

My husband's brother is a very good pianist. When he married, he got the "living room" Steinway grand as a present. I was originally a wedding present for his great grandmother. It has ivory keys.

Go for it.

I would KILL for a baby grand! I'm still kicking myself for not keeping my great-grandmothers old upright but we had no place to put it so we let it go with mom's house when we sold it.

When we moved my grandmother's piano (smaller upright) it cost around $150.00 using piano movers, so for a baby grand you are probably looking at $500.00 minimum. But, of course if you have friends that do that, they can probably cut you a deal.

I'd say this is an opportunity you can't pass up! And, I want to see pics once you get it home!!

Please go for it! a deal like that will never come up again, and if you don't you will always regret it. It will pay for itself shortly in lessons. You would get so much pleasure out of it, that alone would be worth what you pay for it. You can always rearrange your Christmas stuff.

If you have access to I think it was last week Friday or Saturday's Wall Street Journal there was an article written about purchasing/moving a baby grand piano. You might want to read it for reference?