Everything you do is for the benefit of your kids, including buying a new home. Your family is growing and you want more space to comfortably raise your kids. They complain about having to share a bedroom and not having a big enough yard to play in. And yet, when you make the announcement that you’re moving to a new place, there are often tears and complaints that they don’t want to leave. Here are 4 tips to make house hunting with children less stressful and more fun for the family.
They’re uncertain and afraid. You’re telling them they have to move from the only home they may have ever known and away from all their friends to someplace new and unknown. The unknown can be very upsetting for children.
You can avoid all this childhood trauma and additional stress for you and your spouse. Just follow these tips for house hunting with children.
1. Make Looking at Houses a Fun Activity
Get your kids used to the idea of looking at open houses and model houses by making it a fun activity like going to the playground or visiting the zoo. Ask them what they like about the home and how it compares to their current living space. Ask them to guess what kind of a family lives in the house from such clues as what toys are in the bedrooms or what accessories are in the living room. Talk to them about how different houses are worth different prices and you can even ask the older kids how much they think a house costs before revealing the price to them.
2. Broach the Subject of Moving
After you’ve visited a few homes for fun, start visiting homes you’d consider buying. Aside from using your typical strategies, ask your kids when they visit bedrooms or play spaces whether they prefer them to the one in their current home. Ask them why they like the rooms and if they have better ideas of how to use or decorate a space. Once you feel that your children are receptive to changing rooms, you have planted the seed for an easier transition.
3. Narrow It Down
By now, your children should be used to the idea of buying a new home and maybe even excited about it. Now you should get serious about narrowing it down. You can be more specific in your questions about their likes and dislikes in buying such as “Can you imagine playing in this yard if we moved to this home?”
4. Visit the Neighborhood Periodically after House Hunting with Children
Once you’ve completed house hunting with children and are waiting for escrow to close, get your kids used to their new neighborhood. Take them on visits to local parks, playgrounds, shopping centers, and other areas that they’ll be frequenting in their new neighborhood. If you can register them for sports teams or activities in the area that they can participate in right away, they’ll have a built-in circle of friends once they move in. Ask administrators in their new school if your kids can take a tour, so they’ll know what to expect on the first day of classes.
Easing your kids into the idea of moving and then getting them as familiar as possible with the new place will make the whole process easier on everybody. Try out our tips for house hunting with children so that they feel more involved and they will be more open and willing when the time finally comes to move.
If you are buying a new home, it’s wise to have a professional home inspector inspect the property before you commit to purchasing it. Buyer’s Edge, LLC provides comprehensive home inspection services throughout western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. Contact us to book your inspection appointment.