House Staging When You Have Children

House Staging When You Have Children

House staging becomes quite the adventure when you have children. You want to do all the things that make your house more appealing to potential buyers, but you can’t turn your home into a museum that is uncomfortable for your children. Ashley Kimble Slaughter has put together some tips to help you get your house ready for showing.

Tame the Toys

One of the challenges many people face when they are trying to maintain a show-ready house is the tendency for toys to multiply when they aren’t looking! If you have to spend several hours a day picking up toys from around the house, you may find yourself worn out before too long. In order to make things easier, it’s time to tame the toys.

Go through your child’s toys and decide which toys they’ll be keeping and which ones they’ve outgrown. Toss any toys that are missing parts or are too worn to be enjoyed by another child. Box up any toys that won’t be kept and donate them to a worthy organization. Donating these toys helps you keep things organized and puts a smile on the faces of other children.

Once you’ve decided which toys you’ll be keeping, choose a small selection to keep on hand for play while you’re selling the house. Keep these toys in a container that has a top. This makes for easy storage, out of sight, during an open house or showing. Pack the rest of the toys away in preparation for your move.

Depersonalize the Space

Your son might love the ultimate pirate’s bedroom you created for him, but a potential buyer might not see the allure in such a theme. Removing themes and replacing them with more neutral décor will appeal to a broader range of buyers.

Similarly, the bright pink paint that your child loves could turn off a buyer from seeing the potential in the space. Repainting the room with a neutral color is a cost effective way to create a room that allows a buyer to see themselves in that space.

Remove family photos, award plaques, and anything else that is personal. Pack away large collections of things like dolls, sports trophies, and model cars.

Put the Bed Back

If you’ve turned one of the bedrooms into a play room, consider turning it back into a bedroom. Not everyone has children, and a potential buyer will need to see the true purpose meant for that room. Replace the current play furniture with a bed that is suitable for the size of the room. Remember, you want to make the room seem as large as possible. Don’t overstuff it with unnecessary furnishings.

Keep Things Comfortable

With all these suggested options for making your house ready for showing, you may begin to wonder how to keep things comfortable for your children. Selling a house can be a grand adventure for adults that sometimes involves a bit of stress. Imagine how it must be for children. They must rely on the grown-ups in charge of things to help them feel secure.

Having a talk with your children about the home selling process and the upcoming move will help them feel in the loop. This will help them feel like part of the team and make them more likely to understand when things need to be repainted, packed away, and restructured.

Make clean up time a game. One option is to set a timer and make it a fun contest to see who can clean up the fastest. In order to make clean up easier, set boundaries for play areas. When you get a call that a potential buyer is stopping in to look around, it will be easier to clean up a corner of the living room than it will be to clean up the entire living space.

Get your child a moving buddy. A small stuffed toy, doll, action figure, or car can being them a sense of comfort during the moving process. If you have an older child, consider picking up a colorful journal that can be used to record their thoughts and experiences during the move.

Ask a Real Estate Agent

You can’t go wrong by asking a real estate agent for their advice on staging your house. Ashley Kimble Slaughter has the knowledge and years of experience to help you when it comes to selling your home as quickly as possible. Give her a call at 225-235-9379.