Most houses currently on the market are shown vacant and staged with staging furniture, giving them a clean and polished look. Not only is this appealing to the eye, but it shows buyers you’ve moved on and the property is ready to be theirs!
The majority of homes are selling in the first week and you need to make sure your home is ready for potential buyers. Leaving the house completely isn't always an option, and keeping the space presentable can be tough, especially if you have children. So here are five tips on how to sell your house with kids.
Tip #1: Go on Vacation
It’s important to make the property as available as possible to maximize exposure to the most buyers possible. More buyers means higher sales price. When you have “nap time” or “no showings after 6” this really limits who you are marketing towards. It makes it hard for agents and buyers to visit, and in some cases, agents will bypass it completely. It also makes the home feel occupied when you’re trying to make it look available. It would be like dating with a wedding ring on. Even if it’s just a visit to grandma, that place you always wanted to visit locally, or a big vacation to Hawaii, it’s best to make yourself scarce, at least for the first week.
Tip #2: Be Available
Plan to have some extra childcare so you can have time to process, think, and talk through scenarios if needed. Being available to your agent will help them communicate best with buyer’s agents, which sends the message that you’re serious about selling and they need to bring their best offer
Tip #3: Consolidate
Clean up those toys, take down the forts, and consolidate decorative items. Utilize storage, get some nice storage bins, put away large items like baby swings, and fold your laundry. You want new buyers visualizing themselves living there, not thinking about how cute your family is.
Tip #4: Neutralize
Similar to Tip #3: Consolidate, Tip #4 talks about another way to simplify your house so buyers can picture themselves inside the home. Take down family photos, your kids' artwork, fun murals, etc. Paint- walls a neutral color, even if the color looks great in the house. You want buyers to feel inspired when touring the house, not turned off because of a unique wall color.
I recently had a client purchase a house where the nursery had a full wall mural of animals. It was the sweetest and cutest mural, but my clients still felt bad repainting it for their daughter. So whatever you can do, and your agent will help you, to create a canvas for the next buyer will benefit your bottom line.
Tip #5: Let Go
Let your kids know what is happening and take a family meeting or some special time to “let go”. The house “knows”. Call it juju, energy, or whatever you want. I call it the feel factor. When my clients take time to intentionally send gratitude to this home that holds so many memories, and wrap it up mentally like a gift for the next person, it makes a difference. I usually call in my friend Nicole Kincaid. Her energy work is amazing… call it placebo if you will, but it shifts energy! I’ve had clients say the wall colors look different after she’s done her stuff! However you decide to let go, reframe the property from being your home to a house, and ready for the next person.
