Stress-Free Selling: How to Sell Your Home When You Have Kids

The thought of selling your home can be overwhelming at times. When you add kids to the mix, it’s a game-changer! You’ve got so many things to do in order to get your house ready by deep cleaning, packing up items, signing paperwork, etc. Oh, and you also need to take care of your children and try to keep some semblance of normal, everyday life. It’s a lot! But, there are ways to help the selling process go smoothly and make it a positive experience for you and your kiddos. Try some of the kid-friendly tips we’ve included below, and your home sale will be a piece of cake!

Talk to your kids.

No matter how old your kids are, talking to them and making them feel like they are a part of this decision and plan is one of the best ways to get them to accept these changes. Talk to them early on in the process and often. Give them ample time to think through the selling and moving processes before they take place. If you frame it just right, they may even get excited about it! Talk to them about where you would like to move to and any fun things there are to do around your new neighborhood and talk about what they would like to do to their new room. If you’re changing schools, consider taking them there to explore it and maybe even play on the playground. Building excitement for the little ones is a great way to help them accept this new change, and it might even help with their cooperation.

Create a kid-friendly space.

By allowing your children to help get your home ready to sell, it might give them some purpose and allow them to feel like they haven’t lost control. Assign them small tasks so that they feel included. One thing to consider is creating a kid-friendly space where they know they can have toys out and about. In the midst of cleaning and putting items away, which can be a shock for children if they aren’t used to not seeing their toys, have them choose some toys to keep out. By allowing them this small space, they won’t feel like everything is being taken away.

This space, while it may look messy, will be an easy clean-up come house showing time!

When packing up their other items, you may face some pushback. Try one of these techniques:

• Give your kids a choice on which items to keep, which to pack, and which to get rid of.
• Try to avoid packing up everything in one fell swoop. Space it out.
• Talk about donating items to others.
• Get them excited about their new room in your new house.

Deep clean your house.

Over time, certain areas of a house can get neglected. It happens to everyone! Years of accidental spills, scattered crumbs, fingerprints on walls and windows, etc., can certainly add up to a mess. Now is the time to tackle those issues. Leave no area untouched – from your baseboards to your ceiling (yes, even your ceiling – think residue from those sticky toys that like to land on your ceiling or splattered baby food). Don’t forget your bathrooms and closets. Potential buyers will look in your closets, too. If your children want to help with this, find some age-appropriate tasks for them to help with to help them feel included. If they are too young, let them pretend alongside you.

Here’s a quick list of areas to focus on to get you started:

• Kitchen counters, cabinets, and appliances.
• Bathrooms
• Ceiling fans
• Baseboards
• Any scuffs or “artwork” on the walls and doors
• Closets
• Bookshelves or other shelves

Create a house showing routine.

Once you get your house cleaned up, cleaned out, and ready to start showing to potential buyers, it will be very beneficial to create a house showing routine. This is especially important when you have little ones around. House showings can be scheduled or last minute, so it’s better to have a plan in place. Ideally, you will have most things already taken care of, but we know how life goes! So, assign each person a task so that you can work as a team to crank it out as quickly as possible.

Here are some areas of the home to consider when making your home showing game plan:

• Clean up the kids’ designated space (and any toys that may have gotten left elsewhere).
• Remove all playpens, highchairs, baby swings, etc.
• Make sure dirty dishes are in the dishwasher and out of the sink.
• Put all laundry and shoes away.
• Wipe down your kitchen and bathroom counter tops.
• Make sure all beds are made.
• Open your blinds and/or curtains.

Make plans to be somewhere else.

There are times when it might be best to set up a play date for your kiddos or call in the grandparents. If you just can’t get anything accomplished around the house, consider calling in some reinforcements. It might just be a good distraction for your little ones. When it comes time to have a meeting with your realtor or when house pictures are being taken, it’s best to not have children running around. And when it comes time to show your house, try to remove yourself and your children. It can be overwhelming and confusing to little ones to see strangers looking through their home.

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