List of questions to ask and consider when looking to purchase a piano:
If this location is one that is not regulated by heating or air conditioning, such as a garage, outside, or old house, I would not recommend. A piano is made primarily of wood with a cast iron plate and steel strings. This means that humidity, temperature, and other environmental conditions directly impact the instrument and will effect its performance and maintenance.
Additionally, if the piano has been in a communal location such as a church or school, know that it may have received more rough treatment compared to a piano used in an individual’s home.
If the keys have writing on them, are missing the keytops (the white or black top that goes over the wood of the keystick), or are so ‘sticky’ that many of them does not move up and down without getting stuck, it’s likely the piano has not been well cared for and might need a substantial amount of repair work. While some sticky keys is okay and even some unevenness in the key levels can be fixed without significant repairs, it’s recommended that the piano be playable with only minor exceptions.
Lift up the lid of the piano and take a look at the action (all the hammers and small moving parts that allow the piano to play a note when a key is struck). See if you notice any parts that are obviously broken such as a broken string, hammer, or other parts that seem in the wrong place. Continue to look at the action while you play each note and see if anything else appears to be broken or not functioning. Having one or two things broken isn’t a huge concern necessarily, but it may also be the case that a few broken parts indicates smaller issues that are more pervasive but not as easily seen to the untrained eye. If possible, try to find a piano with no broken parts that you can see.
Be sure to look also for any cracks in the piano’s wood. While a crack is not an automatic ‘end game’ for a piano, it can cause some significant issues in the future. Some of these include loss of crown which means the piano will loose its acoustic chamber and projection, and loose / unstable tuning pins that won’t hold a string at its proper tension.
The longer a piano waits to be tuned, the more difficult it is to bring it back into its proper tuning and to have it stay there. Also, if a piano hasn’t been regularly tuned (every year is recommended for regular tuning), it may also have other more hidden problems that a technician would see while tuning and be able to fix before it expands to a larger issue.
If the piano is currently not in tune, know that you will need to also pay a piano tuner or technician to come and tune the piano once it’s moved. This is not a deal breaker for purchasing the piano, but something to keep in mind when considering your budget. However, it is generally recommended that you have a piano tuned once it has been moved to a new location and has acclimated for a few weeks.
Below is a list of acoustic pianos currently available in our area. They are in no particular order but are listed here as a help to anyone currently looking for one.
Note that I have not personally seen the pianos listed nor have I been in contact with the owners so I can only judge from very limited information. However, these pianos seem to be in decent shape and are at a reasonable price (though some might be overpriced a bit from my perspective).