Tricks and Tips to Selling Your Home When You Have Children

Wish You Could Pack up the Kids Too? 

Getting your home ready to sell and showing it becomes complicated when you have children. Kids have this magical way of making messes everywhere that they shouldn't when are trying to move, and often it can be an up hill battle for parents to keep their sanity while trying to successfully sell their homes. 

The one consolation you can have is that people with kids will get any messes your little monster may have created. The problem is people without kids may not. The following are some simple ways to try to reduce the kid-related chaos in your home long enough to sell it. 

1) Pack up all the toys you can get away with. Toys are a lovely way of distracting the children, but you don't want them to distract the eye of your buyers. An excess of toys can make buyers feel like the space is a lot smaller than it actually is. Go with the goal of packing up half the toys, and see if you can get away with a little more. If you have the space, put them in the basement, the shed or self storage. You'll be surprised how much more spacious and less cluttered your home looks like without all the Fischer Price, action figures, etc. You may even find yourself whimsically daydreaming of the day that your child grows out of the toys, but for now just enjoy the lack of plastic piles while you can. 

2) The Toilet Problem. Kids are messy, smelly and just plain gross, especially when it comes to hygiene. Before the house is going to be shown make sure to check all of the toilets in the house, and to dispose of any stink diapers. Make sure all cleaning supplies, bathtub toys, diapers, etc. are stored away out of sight. The last thing you want a potential buyer to think about when considering your home is unsanitary smelling and cluttered bathrooms.  

3) Put Your Kid to Work. Selling your home can be a team effort. Give your kids small tasks to take care of. Washing windows, cleaning tables, keeping their room clean, dusting, etc. can all be tasks that make the house look more nice. Try to motivate your child to help sell the house by putting the move in a positive light. 

4) Put Your Kids Away. When you are showing your house, if at all possible have the kids out of the house. Send them to grandma's, a friend's or just outside to play. If you are using a realtor, it is best to take your whole family outside of the house. People like to browse their potential new home in privacy and quite. Two things that kids, and even you, can be quite disruptive of. 

5) Eat out. Spend the least amount of time as possible in the kitchen. This avoids any unwanted messes. If you do cook at home, keep it to simple meals that won't leave a mess. Make sure your kids know not to eat or make food when someone is viewing the house. 

6) Put away the kid stuff. Cradles, potty stools, high chairs, cribs, etc. should all be put away when someone is coming to view the house. These serve as visual and physical barriers to people who want to take a good look at the house.