Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was thinking the same thing. You can't sell a house with kids. It's not allowed. You gotta take them with you.
Slowly pull back the play areas if they are stationed all over the house. Don't shock the kids too quickly. If the indoor crawl through thingy is in the living room with the play house...maybe a nearby relative can keep them a while and the kids can visit them there.
Something people don't always think about is that kids don't know what's going on. I've been with friends looking at homes helping with their little kids when the kids suddenly realized they didn't take all their toys with them. They were horrified. They assumed the talk about moving and going to look at homes meant they were leaving right then. So, by extension, kids can get very upset when strangers start looking at their home. One time a little boy started bawling when we headed down the hall. He was safe in mom's arms but didn't know why strangers were going to his room...his room being all that really mattered to him. Rather than even leave with him in terror and crying I told him I heard he had the best room in town. He agreed with me. I asked him if he would show it to me. Now that he loved. That was okay. He wiggled out of mom's arms, took my hand, pulled me down the hall and proudly showed me the greatest coolest best room around.
Losing the greatest coolest best room around can be tough.
I put my house on the market a couple of months after I had my twins. That meant I had 3 babies under the age of 3. (I also have a 2 year old). It was a nightmare trying to keep up with the cleaning, but we did it.
First though, we packed up absolutely everything that was non-essential, and put it in a rented storage shed. Then we looked at what was left, and packed up a few more things. I packed up half of the kids toys- the did not even notice they were missing.
Look in your closets and see what types of extra bedding, sheets, towels you have. Make do with the bare minimum. Clean up your pantry to keep only what you really need, and get rid of the rest.
Take 15 minutes every morning to just spot clean a little. and 15 minutes at night. If you all pitch in, it is not such a big deal.
Heh, I realize the ambiguity in the title. They are 1 and 3, and I'm willing to negotiate them in
But in all seriousness, thank you for the advice, I'm glad I posted. I don't remember much of how I shopped for houses before kids. They are young enough that I can pretty much hide all their toys without a fuss, just keep one storage chest and hide it all there.
Oy, this is going to be hard. We live in a retirement area and most potential buyers will be either families or retired (nearly all my neighbours are retired). One thing I will struggle with is bedtimes though, it's 6:30, maybe 7 if I can really push them, but they don't make it past that.
Like everyone has said the best thing is to get a cleaning service. Its worth every penny.
Get rid of as much clutter as possible. Leave space in closets to hide stuff. Cant empty that trash, bag it up and hide it under the bed or in the closet lol. We actually resorted to stashing laundry or other stuff in the car a couple of times when we had 15 minutes notice.
The main thing is a system though, so every time you get a call you know your drill, as well as your husband if he's around. If you can make rooms off limits once they are cleaned so much the better.
If your house is large or two story, keep extra cleaning supplies/tools where you need them. Those pre-moistened pop up cloths are great for bathroom touchups as well as Magic Eraser for scuff marks. A stick vac is great for hard floors.
Keep in mind it doesn't have to be cleaned every time you show as long as it looks/smells clean. Open a window before hand to let fresh air in if possible. Minimize cooking odors. Stock up on paper plates/cups to help kitchen clean up.
Make your bed up as soon as you get up if you don't now. Put paper towels down when you do stuff on the kitchen counter. Every house/family has its trouble spots/habits. Find ways to clean up/limit or prevent those is half the battle.
As silly as it seems, one thing that helped me was to never answer the phone when it was the realtor lol. I made them leave a message so I could hear what time the showing was scheduled. I was quite surprised that most of them were a days notice or more so that was good. Just knowing that if it was 10 minutes, I was in control of yes or no via not answering or calling back helped me keep my sanity.
The only thing I would add about kids is since you probably give them a bath make sure no bath tub rings. Maybe you can try spraying them off with a hand held?
My only thought--how can you get a house ready in a week? I've spent a month and months getting houses ready to sell. You must be a clean, clutter-free god or goddess.
Fortunately we've only lived here 3 years and didn't do anything to the already-decent interior, only remodeled the backyard, so there isn't a great deal to work on! I'm a sahm so I've had more free time to clean.
I look past the toys, kids clothes, bikes, kid friendly room and painted walls and general mess that any house with little kids tends to. Have.. All that will be gone or oainted over before I move in anyway.
What I can't look past is poop smell and used diapers.
My son was 2 last time we sold, and hubby was in CA working while we were listed. I seriously downsized his pool of toys and started the 1 in 1 out rule of toys. No new toys until the last one was put away. He didn't like it but got used to it.
If you can go for a walk with the stroller or go for a ride when showing that is incredibly helpful.
If you have large toys, toy boxes, etc. etc. etc. cluttering up the room, pack them away. Clutter makes any room look smaller and less desirable whether it's kids stuff or not.
Get up, make the beds, pick up dirty laundry and other items on the floor, then get going on your daily routine. If you don't do it right when you get up, you won't.
Restrict showings to when the kids are awake. If you have a scheduled nap time, say no showings at that time. It gives you time to clean and keeps the kids sane.
I think you are the luckiest mom in the world if your kids go to bed at 7 :-)
People don't need to be coming to your house after that anyway.
Just have your agent put "No showings after 6 pm" in the listings notes.
Totally impractical if you are looking to attract anyone with a job. I am never home before 6 with traffic, etc. And its unlikely I am going to use my vacation time to look at a house when there are lots of others readily available to see. My agent didn't even bother to set up appointments with people until 6:30 or 7 during the week. Parents of young children don't always understand the lifestyle of professional, single or coupled nonparents. Your goal is to make your house as appealing as possible to anyone with the money to buy it,
OP, the main thing you want is for people to be able to see your house. If they see it, they may love it and will buy it. Get a babysitter who can watch your kids on certain evenings. Do you have relatives or good friends in the area? How about a sleepover with them? Or, the first few weeks the house is on the market may be a perfect time to send the kids to see grandma for an extended visit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
She deserves a medal.
