Preparing Your Family for the Sale of Your Home

Moving is a part of life, especially for families that want to grow, or just need a change of scenery. But, it can also be a stressful life event, even if it’s necessary.

Making sure your family understands why you’re moving can help them to prepare for the transition and make the process easier on everyone, especially if you’re a first-time seller.

Preparing to move is a major milestone in any family’s life. So, while it’s important to plan ahead and prepare as much as possible, you also have to expect the unexpected and be ready for anything throughout the moving process.

Not sure how to do that? We’ve got you covered.

Make Your Kids a Part of the Process

It’s important to be age-appropriate when you’re talking about a move with your children. But, no matter their age, there are things they can do to be a part of the experience. The more hands-on they are, the less likely it will be for them to fight against the idea of leaving their home. So, what can you do to include them? For younger children:

Try to keep their normal routine
Talk to them about every step of what’s happening
Let them collect their toys from around the house
Set up a donation pile for them to put the things they don’t want anymore
Let them find ways to say goodbye

If you have school-age children or teenagers, you can use the move as a real-world learning experience. If you’re a first-time seller, your older child can learn about the process of buying and selling a home right along with you. You can educate them on things like:

How to work with a real estate agent
Pricing a home fairly
Curb appeal
Mortgages
Interest rates

Eventually, your child will end up buying a home of their own. While they might not soak in everything you’re saying and showing them now, it can give them a solid headstart when they start house hunting one day.

Make Family Time a Priority

Even when everything goes smoothly, there will be times of stress and chaos throughout a move. Maybe your home isn’t selling quickly and you have to live with most of your things packed in boxes. Maybe it sold very quickly and you’re scrambling to find a new place. Or, maybe there are some days when the idea of selling your house and moving just seems harder on your kids than others.

One way to combat those stressful times is by spending as much time relaxing and having fun with your family as possible. Go out to see a movie together, or have dinner at everyone’s favorite restaurant. Even going to the local park or taking a walk around the neighborhood can help to clear everyone’s head and strengthen your bond.

Short breaks like these help to ease the tension that can come with moving. Siblings will fight less. There will be fewer tears. More work will get done. It’s a win-win for everyone. After a short period of time, you can all get back to work packing, cleaning, or doing whatever you need to get your home ready to sell and leave. Having consistent family time is a wonderful way to reassure your kids that although their scenery might change, their family won’t.

Expect That Not Everything Will Be Perfect

Even with the best of intentions, there will likely be some bumps in the road while you prepare to move. It’s not uncommon for children to experience moments of anxiety because of all the uncertainty surrounding them. Selling their childhood home and going somewhere new can feel overwhelming for a young child. So, as a parent, it’s important to pay attention to any warning signs of anxiety, including:

Difficulty concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Changes in eating habits
Constant worrying
Negative thoughts
Easily irritated

You know your children better than anyone, so the moment you recognize any of these signs, make sure to take action. Talk to them about what they’re feeling and validate those feelings for them. Discuss why you have to move and what they can expect from their new home. Focus on the positive, and assure them that things won’t change as much as they might think.

In some cases, your children might benefit from seeing a therapist or counselor to get through the overall stress of the move. But, by trying to keep things as normal as possible throughout the process and making sure they know your family unit isn’t changing, those fears and worries will often dissipate on their own.

As you prepare your family for a fresh start somewhere else, keep these suggestions in mind. While moving will likely always be a stressful process, open communication, routine, and making sure your family stays strong together will make it much easier to get through.