How to Get Your Kids Involved and Excited About the Sale of Your Home

It’s no secret, deciding to sell your home comes with a lot of work emotionally and physically. From the initial decluttering, to finding your new home and making the big move.

Selling your home can be a scary idea for kids, full of change and uncertainty, especially if this is the only home they’ve known. They’ll be going through lots of big emotions. If you’re moving out of their school district, they may also be worried about having to make new friends.

When kids are involved, there’s an additional step in the process that can be addressed so you and your family can enjoy what may otherwise be a stressful situation.

It’s a great idea to sit with your kids and discuss why the sale of your home is important and what they can look forward to in their new home. Tell them about all the fun things they can do to decorate their bigger bedrooms or all the room they’ll have to play in their new backyard. Even making plans to keep in touch with their friends from the old neighbourhood may help.

Once the talk is had, you can do things throughout the process that makes them feel like they’re an important part while having some fun along the way.

1. Have a decluttering party! Order your kids’ favourite food and spend the evening deciding together what stays or gets packed away in storage. Not only does this get your kids involved, but it’ll also help to stage your home when the time comes to list. When staging a home, less is more! And hey, at this point you’ve already begun packing, which helps towards your future move. Win-win!

2. Let them choose a neutral paint colour for their room. Most of the time kids’ bedrooms are personalized with bright colours, lots of art work, and wall stickers. When it comes to preparing your home for sale, it’s best to de-personalize the rooms by taking everything off the walls and then paint with a neutral colour catering to the majority of buyers. After all, painting is the number one, most cost-effective renovation that has the ability to transform a space.

3. Let them pick their favourite toys. When it comes to being able to prepare for a showing quickly, having your kids’ toys stored out of the way helps your home show its best. I always encourage giving each child a storage tote specifically for their toys. They can fill it with their favourite toys and any additional toys get packed away in storage. This way, when your Realtor calls to book a showing, it’s easy for them (or you) to throw the toys in the tote and slide it into a closet.

Ultimately, selling your home can be hard on everyone. Taking the time to enjoy the process with your kids will help make some wonderful memories and show them that change can be a wonderful thing! For more info check out www.ShaunaKinney.com