Image courtesy of Unsplash Written by Kris Louis. Visit her at her home, Parentingwithkris.com
When you have an active household, just thinking about the process of selling your home can make you feel completely overwhelmed. How do you manage a normal lifestyle and still keep the house looking its best? Read on for some clever strategies that can help you stay ahead of the messes so you’ll have your old house sold in no time.
Have a Chat
Your kids will need to be part of the home-selling process, so it’s crucial to talk with them early on. The Spruce suggests chatting with them about moving, letting them know in age-appropriate terms what is happening and that your family and everyone’s belongings will be going to the new house together. The key here is making them feel safe.
It’s also a good time to talk about picking up after themselves and giving them responsibilities will help them feel a part of things. Some larger families have kids share rooms, grouping all the boys into a room and all the girls into another. It economizes messes and workloads, and similarly, you might want to designate one area for playing and one for eating. The less areas you need to tidy for showings, the better.
Create a Clean Slate
Houses that are clean from top to bottom create the best impression on home buyers since it tells them instinctively the place is well-maintained. However, this is often a stumbling block for many families for obvious reasons.
One simple way busy families can give themselves a head start is to hire a housekeeping service. Paying someone else to come in weekly or bi-weekly to deal with thorough cleaning allows you to focus on a more normal life, and then you can just tidy up once a day and right before showings. Housekeepers can provide assistance with light duties like daily upkeep inside (cleaning kitchen, wiping down bathrooms, sweeping) and outside (sweeping the walk, raking), as well as help with laundry and linen changes.
Note that many on-the-go parents find it helpful to give the house a quick once-over every time they leave, even if it’s only for a few minutes. That way, if you get a call for a showing, you don’t have to worry about how the house looked when you left. To help you out, here’s a checklist from Suburble for streamlining last-minute tidyups.
Less Is More
The old saying “less is more” couldn’t be truer than when you have an active family with a house to sell. Long before you put your home on the market, start paring down. Do some decluttering so visiting house hunters aren’t influenced by your decor and general belongings, and store things offsite you intend to keep for the next house.
As you work through the house, you’ll need to remove personal items, including photos, collections, and decor items, that are unique to you. Create a neutral yet comfortable look, something similar to what you find in a nice hotel.
Kids rooms can be particularly challenging. It’s okay if house hunters see you have kids, but you want to present spaces as move-in ready. With that in mind, many families shed the kid-oriented bedroom themes in favor of a more versatile appearance, going with something more age- and gender-neutral. The more you can broaden the demographic appeal, the better.
Toys and Tots
As far as your children’s things, pull the big toys you can’t easily stash, like big playsets, and also pull the things with lots of little parts, such as craft supplies and building sets.
As far as the remaining toys, make sure your kids keep to designated play areas so picking up is a breeze. Also, install some attractive storage that blends with your decor, and give each kid a handy lidded basket to pick up after themselves.
Parents often feel overwhelmed by the prospect of selling a house. Just talk things through, clean, declutter, and streamline your tidyups. Thanks to these simple strategies, you’ll not only survive, but your family will also thrive throughout the home-selling process!
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