If you are someone who prefers antique or vintage furniture to that of contemporary or modern, then you can find some great deals at local auction houses. Unlike shopping at antique malls, buying antique pieces at auction means making split second decisions or risk losing out. This is why it so important for you to take advantage of the pre-auction inspection period.

You need to thoroughly evaluate the pieces that interest you. Be comfortable with their condition before you bid. Bidding goes fast and you are in or you are out – there is not much time to think about it when a piece that you want is actually sitting on the auction block. When doing your evaluation, use these tips to make sure you don’t overlook anything important:

1. If an antique piece of furniture needs to be refinished, you should only have it refinished if you intend to keep it yourself. Once an antique has been refinished, its value is diminished.

2. Don’t worry about small wood imperfections such as tiny dents in the wood or other natural looking flaws. If you want a perfect unmarred surface then don’t buy real wood.

3. Tables, large or small, can have many different leg styles. However, there are only two types of legs – those that are part of the frame and those that screw on and off. The quality of tables with screw on legs is inferior to those with legs that are permanently attached.

4. Look at the sides of the drawers. How are they attached? The drawers on quality pieces will always be dovetailed. Pieces of lesser quality are usually stapled. Also consider that if the drawers are in fact stapled, then the piece is probably not an antique or even vintage.

5. Be careful with antique beds at auction. Sometimes an auction only has the headboard and the footboard. It is possible that they do not have the bed rails. Do not buy an antique bed without the rails. Most old beds had wooden rails, not metal. It would be hard to find the proper rails to match the style and finish of an antique bed after the fact.

6. When looking at an antique bed be sure to measure the width. In the old days, they made a special size called a three-quarter bed, which is 48 inches wide. This size is in-between a twin at 39 inches and a full or double at 54 inches. Mattresses for three-quarter beds may have to be special ordered.

7. Before going to an auction to buy a piece of furniture for your home, know where you are going to place it and measure that area. When you find a piece you like at the auction, more measuring is in order. Make sure it will fit in the designated space. Once you buy a piece, you own it. There is no returning it because it is too big or too small.

8. Watch for the term grain painted. Many people see this in auction descriptions but do not understand what it means. On a number of old pieces, the grain and color of the wood was actually painted on, hence the term grain painted. There is nothing wrong with grain painted furniture; some of it is just beautiful. It is just a matter of knowing what you are buying.

9. There are two classifications of furniture – upholstered and case goods. Case goods are sideboards, bureaus, dressers, china cabinets, bookcases and the like. When looking at case goods at auction it is important for you to open all the drawers and check for sawdust like material. You should also look under the pieces if they are raised up on legs. If you find any – do not buy those pieces. You are looking at termite damage and active termite damage at that. It is more difficult to detect such damage if the termites are not active because the sawdust like material will have been wiped clean. This does not mean the auction house is being deceptive. They may have received the furniture this way without knowing it.