Moving your family is no easy feat, and if you have kids then keeping your home in ideal condition for selling makes the process even more of a struggle. You don’t want your child’s presence—or mess—to be an obstacle to making a sale, but at the same time you want to make moving as easy and stress-free as possible for both you and your kiddos. It may sound impossible, but we’re here to assure you that it’s not!
Check out these essential tips for making a home with kids as attractive as possible for all types of buyers, so you can secure a quick and valuable offer while keeping you and the whole family sane throughout the process!
Condense Kid Clutter
Children bring an incredible amount of love, joy, and satisfaction to our lives—but they also add a lot of stuff! It’s hard to keep everything organized while trying to chase your kids down to stop them from coloring on the walls and stealing cookies from the pantry. Your house is going to be messy, and that’s totally understandable, but when it goes on the market it’s time to reign in the chaos.
Get a jump start on the packing process and prepare your home for showings by clearing out a majority of your kids’ items. This will probably be mostly toys—but don’t forget about the Scooby-Doo bath bubbles and shampoo bottles laying around the bathroom, or the kiddie silverware in the kitchen sink. Remove traces of your little ones from all parts of the home, including marker streaks on the walls and glitter glue stuck to the carpet.
Have your kids choose a handful of their favorite toys to keep during the showing process that can be quickly and easily stored in a decorative ottoman or a box you can run out to the car. Avoid leaving big and bulky toy sets laying around, like play kitchens or little plastic craft tables, as they can distract and deter potential buyers. Don’t forget about the backyard either—be sure to put the bikes and jump ropes back in the garage.
Keep Children’s Spaces Generic
You want your home to appeal to prospective buyers with and without children, so try to keep your child’s bedroom and playroom looking as generic as possible. Buyers with children should be able to envision their own kids’ stuff in place of yours, and those without should be able to see the potential of the playroom to become a home office space or trendy man cave.
If they’re not already, paint child bedrooms and play areas neutral colors. Remove any themed wallpaper, decals and décor—you don’t want someone to walk in the room and be swallowed by unicorns or firetrucks. Make sure each space is gender neutral and maintains a universal charm that all buyers can relate to.
Narrow down the furniture to just the basics; a twin bed, dresser, and nightstand for the bedroom; and a couch, entertainment center, and maybe one ornamental toy chest for the playroom. If you have a baby, ditch cumbersome pieces like diaper tables and highchairs when people come by for a viewing. You might want to leave out the rocking chair and crib though—and drape a cozy crocheted blanket over the side for a subtle accent.
You can display a couple of simple toys or stuffed animals, and a few nice-looking books left out for decoration can add a little character to the room as well.
Keep Kids Occupied
The best thing to do for showings and open houses is take your kids away from the home entirely. Have some fun activities planned in advance or keep a few in mind for buyers who stop over spontaneously for a tour. Head to the local park or zoo if the weather is nice, or you can check out the science museum or bookstore too.
If you have an open house coming up, schedule a playdate and leave yourself with a little time to pick up any daily residual mess that’s often unavoidable with children. You might even want to consider planning a whole vacation or roadtrip for a chunk of the duration your house is on the market!
It’s easy to get wrapped up in prepping the house for a sale or showing, but don’t forget that moving is hard on your kids in a different way. Make sure they have access to their favorite items and don’t feel like their needs and emotions are being overlooked.
Staging your home can be an expensive, time consuming, and stressful process whether you have kids to worry about or not. That’s why Stage2Go has convenient and affordable packages ready to go within just 48 hours!
The DIY services we offer are perfect for accomplishing a quick and effective setup, so you can check one more thing off your seemingly endless to-do list. Give us a call today to learn more about the packages and expert guidance we have available to you!
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