House Shopping with Your Kids

Our Children – how we love them. As members of our family we want them to be part of all the decisions that we make. In home buying especially we want them to participate as much as possible since the home we choose will be theirs as well.

If you are thinking about moving you have probably given thought to choosing a Realtor (hopefully me) and spoken to a Lender to get the ball rolling on your pre-approval. Now it’s time to start house shopping!

It’s exciting to start the home buying process but it can be overwhelming too. Remember the movie “Inside Out”? A new home, new neighborhood, new friends, and new schools can be an emotional and scary time for your kids. How do you make sure that you keep this process as stress-free as possible?

• 1    Leave them at home. You might not like to hear it but it may be best if kids, especially the 9-and-under crowd, are left at home during showings. You are entering a home that you have never seen before with breakable objects and an unknown floorplan. Will you be watching your kids rather than taking in the details of your possible purchase? Hire a baby-sitter or visit homes with the kids are at school.

• 2    Keep them busy. Bless the inventor of the tablet or surface or laptop or whatever you use that has a screen and streaming ability. Park your darlings at the kitchen counter with their devices and you may be free to move about the house. Be quick about these showings though – the temptation to wander from that counter into someone else’s home takes over after about 15-20 minutes. If it’s a home you connect with you and your agent (hopefully me) can make a separate appointment to view the home unattached from said darlings.

• 3    Call in reinforcements. Gotta Mom? Uncle? Bestie? Do not be afraid to ask for help. If the kids must come with or they are too small to park in the kitchen do not be shy in asking for help. Your Uncle can humor the little-uns while you take your time touring the house. When it comes to family members, though, it’s good to keep in mind that they may have a stake in your decision.

...More on “House Shopping with your Mom” in our next episode.