Selling your home is often a monumental task that can take weeks, months or even years. Your potential success depends on everything from where you’re located to the age of the house and the state of the housing market at that particular moment. Things become even more challenging when you have children not just because selling your house is harder, but because moving to a new home is a massive and often scary event for young children.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you sell your house when you have kids while allowing you to retain your sanity.
1. Remove Anything You Don’t Immediately Need
Even if you’re still living in the home, while you’re in the process of selling your home, if you don’t need it and won’t for the next month or so, get it out of the house and either move it to your new location or to a storage facility for the duration.
This has multiple uses. First, when the house finally does sell and you’re ready to make that move, you’ll have less stuff to pack because most of the work is already done. This can reduce some of the already rampant stress that accompanies moving with kids. Second, it makes it easier to keep your house clean for potential showings.
2. Keep the Clutter to a Minimum
When someone comes to a showing, they’re not coming to see what you’ve done to the house or how you live there. They’re coming to see if they can picture themselves living there, and that’s challenging if they have to try and imagine away all of your clutter.
Even if the house isn’t messy or dirty, clutter can make it more difficult to sell. This is another reason for step one removing anything you don’t immediately need. You can’t clutter up your house with it if it’s not even there! We get that this is often easier said than done when it comes to kids, especially if they suddenly start insisting that every single toy is their favorite one and they can’t bear to part with any of them, even for a little while.
3. Talk Your Kids Through the Process
Don’t spring this on your kids. Selling your home and moving shouldn’t be a surprise, no matter how quickly you manage to sell the property. Make sure you’re talking your kids through the entire process from beginning to end. They might not need to know the nitty-gritty of real estate law, but understanding the basics can help make the process a little less scary.
Try to get them excited about the idea of moving to a new place instead of dreading it, and work on keeping that excitement going throughout the process. If they think of it as an adventure or a game or something new and exciting to explore, they’ll be more likely to adapt well to the whole situation.
4. Try to List and Sell Quickly
The longer this process drags out, the harder it will be to keep your kids excited about moving to a new home. Try to list and sell your property as quickly as possible. That will require finding a good real estate agent that you’re comfortable working with and choosing the right time of year.
Houses often sell best during the spring and summer, and research has shown a better chance of quick sales if you list your home on a Thursday or a Friday. This is due to the fact that buyers who are looking to spend the weekend house-hunting are going to start looking at options a couple of days ahead of time.
5. Hide the Kids (Not Literally)
If you’re only trying to appeal to buyers with children, feel free to skip this step. However, if you want to list and sell your property quickly, you’re going to want to appeal to buyers from all demographics. That means you need to hide evidence that there are kids growing up in this home. You don’t need to stick them in the cupboard under the stairs or anything else drastic.
Instead, just take a look at things like the color of their bedrooms and whether there are personalized murals or other artwork on the walls. Things like these might appeal to your kids, but they make your home harder to sell, so you may want to consider repainting the bedrooms a more neutral color. You may get the same advice from your real estate agent when you go to list your home.
Remember That This Is Hard for Them Too
Whether you’re three, 30 or 300, moving is a pain in the behind. While you’re stressing out over showings and sales, remember that this is hard for your kids, too. Be patient with them and do everything you can to make the process easier for them. Try to get them excited about the move, and make sure you’re keeping them involved in the process so they understand what’s going on rather than being surprised by it.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind