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You don't seem to read the words I wrote, Schnooky. Who said anything about "prevalent?" I already mentioned there would be no open house. I also stated twice that all the small things are packed and stored. What furniture are my husband and I supposed to sit, sleep, and eat on? Even if we rented staged furniture, what about damage to it? And what about liability -- as in the child falling into the lily pond, without the parent around to prevent a possible death?
You're in kid mode, full on. I get it, I've been there. But that doesn't mean you have the right to be unbearably rude. Your posts drip with sarcasm. You also write some unbalanced stuff -- you say I lie, then you throw in your child's condition for a sympathy bid. Several other posters have made suggestions that are direct, practical, and viable, without the snark and drama. Please desist.
All these people saying "pack away your valuables" does not address the problems of
pulling on drapes
leaving smelly gifts around
picking at upholstery
and much, much more.
Welllll……
Any property owner who lives in the house they are selling with personal property in it must recognize that they have made a significant compromise in those areas.
There is no perfect answer.
Removing everything from the site is not perfect, either, one may say.
We had three items get wet in a moving van. All of them family antiques, and all our daily junque was safe and dry.
Would it be an awful idea to maybe put a sign on the door, saying something like "Our house is filled with antiques and artwork. Please keep an eye on little ones." ? Maybe it could be said more subtlety than I did.
People put signs up in museums, reminding people to be careful...maybe a sign could be put up in the home?
You know, I've never understood parents who allow their children to just roam freely in houses that are for sale. When DH and I were house-hunting and had our 2 small children with us, we literally never let go of their hands. And if one of us wanted to have both hands free to see something, then the other parent got handed off the second kid. We also repeated to our kids, over and over, that anything in the houses we were looking at were NEVER to be touched, as nothing was ours. We took "this our home, please respect it" very seriously, as we would feel the same way as the OP. It's hard enough to sell your home under the best of conditions but to add the stress of children being allowed to disrespect the place just makes it a miserable prospect.
OP, I would think that you could perhaps lean on the liability angle with your agent and see what she says. If she isn't comfortable being more restrictive, then you may need to seek another agents services.
You know, I've never understood parents who allow their children to just roam freely in houses that are for sale. When DH and I were house-hunting and had our 2 small children with us, we literally never let go of their hands. And if one of us wanted to have both hands free to see something, then the other parent got handed off the second kid. We also repeated to our kids, over and over, that anything in the houses we were looking at were NEVER to be touched, as nothing was ours. We took "this our home, please respect it" very seriously, as we would feel the same way as the OP. It's hard enough to sell your home under the best of conditions but to add the stress of children being allowed to disrespect the place just makes it a miserable prospect.
OP, I would think that you could perhaps lean on the liability angle with your agent and see what she says. If she isn't comfortable being more restrictive, then you may need to seek another agents services.
It is very common for one 3 year old to have Mom, Dad, and maybe Grandma outnumbered.
Really.
When it takes 3 adults to handle child care, I often work harder to get someone to see various features of the property, because no one is listening.
Many thanks to you and your husband for being responsible parents, Berrie143. We sold our last two houses within ten days to families with well-behaved children. The terrace of our present home sits near the edge of a twenty-foot cliff drop, so we're a bit worried about children there. The lily pond incident was terrifying. If not for the alertness of the realtor, that mother would have had a drowned toddler. Kudos again to you and your family!
Would it be an awful idea to maybe put a sign on the door, saying something like "Our house is filled with antiques and artwork. Please keep an eye on little ones." ? Maybe it could be said more subtlety than I did.
People put signs up in museums, reminding people to be careful...maybe a sign could be put up in the home?
It would be ineffective because:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook
... the trouble with warnings is, the parents most likely to heed them, don't need them. Trust me, I've advised and warned clients many times. The good ones will be good regardless... and those who need the warning, don't listen or know how to be that kind of parent.
The kind of people who'd let a toddler roam around unsupervised around a lily pond and an apparently dangerous cliff aren't gonna read a sign on the door and suddenly become great parents.
I don't know anyone who enjoys the showing stage of home selling. You just have to do the best you can and gut your way through it till you get a contract.
The OP has the right to put any restrictions she wishes on the selling of her home, within legal boundaries of course
On our last home we sold, I only did showings on the weekends. I had two little kids, a very hairy dog, and husband who traveled all week for work.
That was the restriction I needed to keep my sanity through the process.
In this case, I would say that her and her husband should probably stay for the showings unless she really trusts her realtor.
Will this hurt the sale of her home? Who knows. But sanity for the seller is important too. I think that the listing agent should be honest and explain the best scenario for showing a home. But after that it is up to the seller to make the final call
Well, hopefully you'd watch your children if you bring them to showings and prevent them from engaging in the mayhem described by the OP? You know, being a responsible parent and showing your children by example a little civility and consideration for others, that sort ot thing?
Allowing children to engage in destructive behavior under the guise of "kids will be kids" is just copping out on parental responsibilities. You bring children to an event, YOU are responsible for them.
Well of course. My kids have never so much as knocked over a cup during a walk through, and that’s not particularly unusual. Somehow all the families who walked through my homes didn’t break all the things, either. Who said anything about allowing the kids Th engage in destructive behavior? My point was that they DON’T.
That’s why the entire issue is so ridiculous - it’s overblowing a slight risk into a massive one, especially when much could be done by the OP to mitigate potential damage.
You don't seem to read the words I wrote, Schnooky. Who said anything about "prevalent?" I already mentioned there would be no open house. I also stated twice that all the small things are packed and stored. What furniture are my husband and I supposed to sit, sleep, and eat on? Even if we rented staged furniture, what about damage to it? And what about liability -- as in the child falling into the lily pond, without the parent around to prevent a possible death?
You're in kid mode, full on. I get it, I've been there. But that doesn't mean you have the right to be unbearably rude. Your posts drip with sarcasm. You also write some unbalanced stuff -- you say I lie, then you throw in your child's condition for a sympathy bid. Several other posters have made suggestions that are direct, practical, and viable, without the snark and drama. Please desist.
If you’re that disproportionately concerned about your few remaining items and a single pond, you’re literally making a mountain out of a molehill. Full stop. And liability over the pond? Why don’t you sit out there during showings, if you’re so concerned, as Diana mentioned previously in the thread? Or stake some orange construction fence around it temporarily? People really don’t let their kids run around unsupervised into dangerous situations as a rule. But there are plenty of things you could do to mitigate that issue if you chose, even just posting a sign on the door.
It’s like you can’t hear yourself and how overblown you’re making this entire thing. Really. Real estate changes hands every single day, and somehow most of us make it through without such ennui. Chill and problem solve.
And no sympathy bid - why do I need your sympathy? It was a straight up and analagous example of how our experiences can make a rare thing seem more common than it actually is. And yes, blow risk assessment all askew.
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