Home Staging Tips For Parents With Young Children

Getting a home ready to sell is one thing, but keeping it in pristine condition is a whole other ball game. Add young kids to the mix, and I think you’ve just created an Olympic sport! Home staging with children!

For the last 10 months, the average number of days a home has stayed on the market before selling has been between 50 and 70 days. That’s about two months of keeping your house clean and tidy! Two months of keeping toys put away. Two months of no fingerprints on the windows. Two months of no messes in the bathroom! *Gasp!* We know this is a tall order, and for parents with young children, this might sound impossible. Here are a few home staging tips for all of you parents out there. We see you! You got this!

Pack & purge the toys

If you’re selling your home, that means you intend on moving. Why not start packing now to make things easier later? Box up some of those toys that rarely get played with, take up lots of space, and won’t be missed. Less stuff makes cleaning up 1,000 times easier each time you need to prepare for a showing!

As you’re going through the toys, invite your child to join you. Ask him/her if there are any toys he/she would like to give to a friend or donate to a child in need. This is a great way to get rid of a few things while avoiding a meltdown!

Say goodbye to any toys that are broken, missing pieces, stained, or unusable. Trash them, recycle them, do what you need to do.

Don’t worry! SOME toys are still allowed! The world doesn’t end for your children when you decide to list your house. Just do what you can to limit the number of toys your child can play with.

Create a clean-up system everyone can help with

When preparing to show your home, speed is often an unavoidable necessity. It never fails that someone wants to tour your home right after you broke out the craft supplies, made dinner, or started sorting laundry. One thing that can make the cleaning and staging process go more smoothly is giving every item a designated spot and making sure everyone knows where things go. Toys, clothes, shoes, blankets, towels, everything. Have a system in place beforehand so you are able to get the house ready as efficiently as possible, and you don’t have to do it all by yourself. 

*Pro tip: Don’t use your closets as your junk hiding place. Buyers will open doors and peek in closets when touring a home. Instead, hide things under the bed! Not a place buyers will care to look!

Simplify bedroom and playroom decor

You can often tell which rooms are designated for children right when you walk in, even if everything is put away nice and neat. The Disney posters on the walls, bright paint colors, and themed bedding are a dead giveaway. In an effort to make each space as simple and inviting as possible, take down the themed and personalized decor. You want the room to feel spacious and versatile, and removing the clutter makes a big difference. If you can swap out the child decor for simple wall hangings that could fit any room, that’s even better! Last, but not least, we recommend giving the walls a fresh coat of paint in a soft, neutral tone. Voila! Another room done!

Remove childproof locks (if possible)

If you are past the kids-getting-into-everything phase, scan the whole house and remove all of the childproof locks. Although these are super helpful for parents, they can be extremely frustrating for buyers. Any trouble opening a door or a cabinet could be perceived as a red flag. 

If you still have young children and removing the childproof locks isn’t an option, don’t sweat it. Leave the locks on and provide instructions for how to use them. Give your real estate agent a heads up beforehand, and the locks shouldn’t be an issue. You’ll also want your agent to notify the buyers that those locks will be removed once you move out. 

Clean off the fridge

Ah, the fridge. Home to all of your child’s crayon masterpieces, sticker collages, and alphabet magnets. Although all of these items have sentimental value for you, they are not so special to potential buyers. In fact, they can become a distraction that makes a space feel more crowded than it is. Clean off the fridge to limit the clutter in the kitchen and make the space less personal.  

Buckle up to wrap up

Once your little helpers are no longer helpful, buckle them in the car seat, high chair, or bouncer with a toy and a snack, so you can finish staging the house. Keep your trunk as empty as possible to have a last minute spot for any totes, bins, or leftover odds and ends.

Once your house is ready, take a deep breath! You made it! Now it’s time to go to the park, the grocery store, or Grandma’s house until the showing is over. 

Cleaning Checklist Resource

If you’re a list person or just need a way to remember all of these things you need to do, here is a cleaning checklist to help guide your home staging and clean-up system! Look at how many of these simple tasks can be delegated to your little ones!

It’s difficult, but not impossible! Staging and selling homes with young children happens all the time. If you miss a jelly smudge or leave a toy out, don’t worry. You’re probably not going to nail your checklist every time, and that’s okay! The majority of buyers are super understanding! Do yourself a favor and make this home staging process as easy as you can. Go out for dinner and make play dates outside of your home for a while to help keep your house in tip-top shape. 

Finally, as you proceed in the selling process, we wish you the best of luck!