Are you looking to upsize for more family space? Life has moved on since you bought your current home – you’ve married, got a partner, had a child and the family is growing. In short, you’ve outgrown your home. Selling with a young family is difficult particularly if you are upsizing. There are the practicalities of day to day living combined with the fact that it may be obvious why you are selling – toys, play pens etc. So here are a few tips to manage selling when you have children.
Stuff
We all know that children have a lot of belongings and that they seem to get everywhere. If you are moving because the house isn’t big enough you don’t want to advertise the fact. If viewers see toys, games consoles etc all over the place they will conclude that the property isn’t big enough for them either. Remember, clutter prevents potential buyers seeing the true space on offer. Decluttering children’s toys is difficult because children might not understand why they can’t have all their things out. Enlist their cooperation in whatever way is going to work with your children. Involve the children in the adventure of the move and explain that you need to sell the house in order to have the adventure. Start by seeking to pack up as many items as you can, this will also help towards the ultimate packing up that you will have to do anyway. Whilst doing this see if you can persuade your children to part with at least some of the toys they have grown out of and donate them to a local children’s charity. If your children are engaged in the current debate on the environment this is a great tool for encouraging them to donate. Store the resulting boxes out of the way.
Storage
Having reduced the amount of items find appropriate storage. Create extra storage capacity by, yes you’ve guessed it, decluttering existing storage either by getting rid or packing up. Bear in mind that viewers are likely to be nosey and open cupboards so don’t cram them so full that things on them. Cupboards need to be tidy otherwise that will give the impression that you don’t have enough storage. If your property is likely to attract buyers who will want to start a family then it’s fine to show that it is a family home, for example, coloured storage baskets.
Be Viewing Ready
Some vendors like to be present during viewings, they feel they know their house better than the estate agent or they like to be on hand to answer viewers questions. If you are one of those vendors and you have children do try to arrange for the children to be elsewhere during viewings. However well behaved the children are they are likely to be a distraction and you don’t want the potential buyers to be distracted. Have an action plan and, if the children, are old enough, assign them certain tasks such as putting toys away (in that storage we created earlier) when they go bed or finish playing, hanging clothes up, making the bed etc. It’s handy to have a large storage crate that you can pile things in and then put in the boot of the car.
In summary, selling your home when you have children isn’t easy but reducing clutter, having storage and being ready for viewings make sit a little less stressful. If you would like some help then call today to book a decluttering session. Call 07745 876182 or e mail info@homestyle4u.com. I cover the Wirral, Cheshire and the North West.
