It’s time to list your York County home for sale. You’ve spoken with your agent, and read all the tips on staging and being prepared for showing your home. There’s just one little hitch in your plan. You have children. Kids need places for their “stuff”, and they need places to play, study, and just be kids. How do you sell around all of that?
It just takes a little more planning. You can make a few adjustments in your decor, and with the cooperation of your children, you can still keep your home tidy for showing to potential buyers. Chances are, you’ll probably be selling to someone who has, or plans on having children. These decor strategies could even help to sell your home.
The main challenge will be doing a quick tidying for a showing on short notice. The trick is to have places ready to stash games, toys, art supplies and the other accoutrements that go with having bright, active children. Since a favorite place for kids to play is the living area, you should have places to stow things there. An ottoman with a removable top can be used to store blocks, dolls with their clothes, or art supplies. If you have a credenza with doors on the lower half, that can be a place to stash things, too. The open shelves can be used for decorative items like photos, vases, and artifacts.
Another option, and this goes throughout the house, is to obtain some of those decorative woven baskets with lids. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, can go with any decor, and require little space. They just stand in the corner looking pretty, and nobody will be the wiser if they hold the baby’s pull toys or the video game equipment.
In the kids’ bedrooms, there are numerous ways to stow things within their easy reach (which means they can also help with the quick clean-ups). One great place is one or more underbed storage units on wheels. The role-playing gear so popular now, like tutus and superhero costumes lie flat in them, and there’s still room for extra shoes and boots. It can be covered by a bright, oversized bedspread. Colorful stacking bins are a great place for loose toys, and a place where kids can be encouraged to put them habitually when finished playing with them.
If your kids have a lot of toys, consider storing some of them in the back of a large closet, and just swap them out for others occasionally. With clothes or coats hanging in front of them, they’ll be all but unnoticeable back there.
Since you’ll be moving once you’ve sold the house, if you have a plethora of playthings, it might just be a good time to reduce. Get your kids to help you sort their toys into categories, such as those to keep, to donate, or to toss. A good way to encourage generosity is to explain that the toys they don’t play with anymore can make some other children feel like they have brand new toys. Maybe you can sweeten the pot by promising ice cream on the way home from donating them.
Using your imagination for storing children’s possessions can enhance the value of your home. Prospective buyers who are parents will be impressed, and picture handling their children’s items similarly. Having the children involved can give them a sense of responsibility, as well as making them feel like they’re participating in the moving process. It may even help overcome any tension or reluctance about the move.
We can give you further advice on selling a home where children live. Let us know if you’re interested in listing or buying a home in the York County area, and we’ll be ready to help. The Jim Powers Team of local Realtors® is here for you from start to end. Visit our website to learn more, then contact us or give us a call at 717- 417- 4111.