Selling a home with kids

[inmypjs]

I posted awhile ago about a potential job offer for my DH that would require us to move to a small town. Long story short, we are doing it. Of course now we need to sell our home. I wanted to know people's thoughts about how you stage your home with kids in-house. Is it okay to have an Expedit (neatly) full of toys and storage containers? Okay to have a Vitamix out on our counter? I had one realtor come through who basically said we needed to put 2/3 of our belongings in storage and do our best to stage our home like a new construction show home. We have a large master closet, and she suggested we take 2/3 of our clothing out. I get the idea of decluttering and do want to do some of that, but maybe I'm just now grasping what this all involves. So how much stuff do you take out and how much do you stage? I realize you guys can't see our house. My own opinion is that it is pretty tidy. I've had friends say that our home looks nice and neat. I actually didn't care for this realtor personality-wise, so I'm still looking. But her comments got me thinking...

[westwoodmom04]

I did this last time I moved, pre-kids and plan to do it when we put our place on the market. You're going to have to pack anyway. I would just pack half the toys and out of season clothing and store elsewhere (in a storage bin, or if you have local, willing family, there). Give away whatever is outgrown, never used, etc. . . The more you move out now, the less you will have to move later, and it will help you sell faster. Your kids have to live there so some kids stuff is inevitable, but I think decluttering is really good advice (and definitely think the counters need to be cleared). If you are in a hot market, it will only be for a week or two.

[daisysmom]

We filled 2 pods staging our house to sell last summer. It sold in 4 days so it was worth it in the end, but it was daunting and we just have one child (and 2 dogs). I resisted staging and decluttering but I do agree it is necessary.

[JustMe]

Thanks for posting, op! I don't have any advice, but am getting ready to do the same thing myself...so will be watching this thread with interest.

[twowhat?]

We did it when the girls were 3. We fortunately had not accumulated all that much kid stuff, but we did have a 4 by 4 expedit in the family room. Our realtor was OK with leaving that out, with toys NEATLY placed inside bins where possible (we did have a couple of larger things that wouldn't fit in a bin but that was OK as long as it fit neatly into one of the cubbies). Our realtor was also OK with us leaving out our smaller-scale wooden play kitchen (I think if it were plastic she would've made us put that away too). We put it away for the professional photos but OK to leave out for showings. So literally the only kid stuff left out was their bedroom furniture, play kitchen, and Expedit. Our realtor was fine with leaving out a couple of fancy kitchen appliances like Kitchenaid mixer or fancy coffee machine. We managed to do this without having to put stuff in storage - we used attic space, closet space, under the bed space, and our parents were willing to take a couple of the larger things like the kids tables/chairs.

We had a routine every morning for leaving the house - it was a scramble - after breakfast I'd clean up the kitchen/dining, put the tablecloth on the breakfast table and the centerpiece, replace all our towels with clean fluffy white ones (our own towels we tossed into a hamper in the garage), made sure bathroom counters, etc were wiped down, opened all the windows, made the beds, and turned on all the lights. Then we all left the house (DH and I to work, girls to daycare). We spent weekends at grandma's house (thank goodness that was an option).

We purchased a couple of larger canvas prints from IKEA for staging. Everything else we already had up and we actually removed some pieces from the walls (anything personal like family photos should be removed).

Our staging photos are actually still up on redfin. I am happy to PM if you are interested in seeing them - I'm quite proud of pulling that off with twin 3yos and 2 dogs (dogs stayed with Grandma the whole time)! We closed in 8 weeks! The family that ended up buying the house had kids and (sadly) had lost a twin pregnancy so I do think there were some emotions involved there when they saw our 2 cribs and 2 of everything (toys). We did have multiple offers (5 or 6!) on the house.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We did get a storage unit and filled it up. It was AWESOME living in our smaller space with less stuff. It sucked having to stop by and get stuff/put stuff into it all the time, but we were on the market 3 mos. Our house had a slight location issue and we were on the market a few months too early for our market. But yes, if you can pack up and move stuff out, it will feel bigger, cleaner, and it will be much easier to tidy up for showings.

[o_mom]

Yes - we rented a small, closet-size storage unit. I was able to put two recliners, a cabinet sewing machine, changing table, drop leaf table and chairs, cedar chest, toy bins and about 30 boxes and random other large stuff (exersaucer, etc.). It was a lot of stuff in a small area, but it made a huge difference in our house looking open and spacious vs. neat/tidy but full. We did have bins of toys on shelves and some baby-proofing stuff up (gates - which they asked us to leave). I do think it really does make a difference and I would absolutely do it again.

I think the toys are OK. The Vitamix I would at least stash for showings because it makes it look like you do not have enough cabinet space. The clothing is probably a good idea and if you can do out of season or rarely worn stuff it's basically like pre-packing.

I also did some 'staging'. I am not a decorator type - I rarely hang pictures and don't do much in the way of decor. We bought some items for our mantle and above the fireplace. We also bought a table cloth and curtains for the dining room to make it look more put together. Same with the kitchen - bought a print for the wall that made it look decorated. None of these were super expensive, but they made it look much better.

[specialp]

I would listen to the realtor. You basically make your house look like anyone could live there with room to grow, which of course means you get rid off all the stuff so it creates that feeling. I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets of stuff I rarely used to put in storage so I had empty space to hide the stuff I normally left on the counter. I would try to make sure I had empty space/containers to throw stuff in for a quick clean up and would also keep an extra laundry basket handy to throw stuff in and toss in the car as I was leaving for a showing.

[zukeypur]

We didn't really pack away much, but it was all VERY organized. At the time our house went on the market the kids were out of town with the in-laws, the dogs were in a boarding kennel, and we were out of town trying to make the final decision to move or stay. Since we had 2 offers within 3 days and about 5 backup offers in the next few days after that, we didn't have to keep it staged long. As soon as we had a contract we started packing.

[cvanbrunt]

Well, I hate to break to you but selling your house is an incredible amount of work. We have two kids and a dog, too. Listen to your agent. The should look like a show house, not like anyone lives there. It's obnoxious but buyers are generally unable to see potential or around stuff. It is worth it to rent storage space and fill it. A staged, pristine house will sell much more quickly. We sold ours in December at the first showing with 5 offers, most over ask. And all the buyers agents talked about how well the house showed. Pictures of it are still up on redfin if you want the link.

[inmypjs]

Thanks all. I know you are all right, but sigh, it sounds overwhelming. I think it would feel better if we knew what house we were moving to, and when. But we don't, and I just have to accept that. There is very little available housing in the town we are going unfortunately. Did anyone use one of those storage pods, as opposed to an actual unit that you take things to? That seems much more convenient, but wondering how expensive it is. The new company will help with moving expenses, but not sure exactly how much yet.

[squimp]

We used a storage unit but it was much cheaper than any other option. I really do think it helps so much to declutter. Neat and clean is one thing but showing a house is a whole other level. I agree with the poster who said you were going to have to move the stuff anyway, so packing up books and toys that you don't need right now really does help.

[specialp]

We ended up using both. We used a POD that they drop off, you fill, and they take away at first. Our house had several offers and sold in 3 days so we didn't have time to find another house for a few months. We moved to temporary housing and at that point, also used a storage unit. I do not remember the pod cost, but it worked very well.

[daisysmom]

We used two PODs. They are more expensive when you factor in drop off and re-delivery fees. But so much easier than carting carloads to a to a storage unit (we have used storage units in the past). The PoDs worked well for us, were stored in a climate control place, and we had no damage. Frankly we could have just taken the pod to goodwill,.. You will realize that you don't need that stuff after all.

[elliput]

I have recently been house hunting and staging makes a huge difference. I looked at a several houses which, while tastefully decorated, seemed cramped and small due to excess stuff in the house. These houses have been on the market for several months. A couple of houses which were nicely staged, had excess clothes removed from closets, bare counters, no personal photos, etc received offers shortly after being listed.

[nfowife]

I think it depends on your market. Our realtor had a pro stager come in and make suggestions. We were able to have toys in the kids room, we put some stuff in the attic as well, and had it hidden in a trunk in our family room. It stinks havng to keep the house super clean for showings but we were lucky that our house sold within a few days. Hopefully you have the same luck!

[wifecat]

We did major staging. In fact, we sold all of our living room furniture, and bought smaller furniture to make the room look larger (we were in a tiny rowhome). We sold a ton of stuff on Craigslist, donated a lot of stuff to Goodwill, and put more stuff in storage at a Public Storage Unit. Dh had a standing work station, because he worked at home, and that's how he preferred to work. Our realtor told us we might want to put a "real desk" in there so people would know it was a real office (that ticked dh off, since it WAS his real office!). But, we did it. Got rid of the standing workstation and put a "real" desk in there. We staged with flowers and wall hangings, candles and knick-knacks and very generic stuff from Ikea. We took down all of our personal family photo and completely de-personalized our home. It looked fantastic. And, it was depressing, because it certainly wasn't ours. Our realtor asked if we wanted to keep one of the flyers to remember how our house looked. I told him, "This isn't our house. It's someone else's who hasn't bought it yet." But, we sold our house, in a depressed market, in about 34 days. We had something like 60 showings in that time, and we had spent a month staging our house before it went on the market (and we spent about $2000 in staging).

[theriviera]

I agree with the advice to listen to your agent. We sold our house last summer and staged it. Like a PP,we even got rid of furniture (that we weren't planning to move) and a stager brought in new pieces that fit better in the space. It was a pain and the kids weren't thrilled to part with so many toys but it was totally worth it. Our house sold in the first 5 days on the market and we had 5 offers, all over asking. Much better than having it sit on the market!

[wifecat]

One thing that helped us is that we just started packing things we were going to pack anyway. We got quotes from moving companies (we paid for the move ourselves) and we figured out how much it was going to cost us to move each pound of our stuff. So we looked at everything we owned and said, "Would we pay X to keep this?" The shocking answer was NO to a lot of stuff! We figured if we purged on that end, we'd save money, and have less to unpack once we got moved.

[JBaxter]

We have a FROG ( Family room over garage) that is the main play area. I have a toy box in my keeping room ( small living room off the kitchen) The boys bedrooms are neat and tidy but our FROG has the toys They are in bins and picked up but my house seems to be the house in the neighborhood where everyone plays. I have 2 boys at home and several I might claim onmy taxes they are here so much. Mine has been listed for 22 days we had a full week of snow and I've had 6 showings so far? All have come back with House shows well. ( some are looking for different things 2 had to sell a house first and one didn't like the green shutters ~ YES they were visible in the internet picture) It might be the area but our agent said it looked fine and as long as it was neat and tidy and didn't smell funky it was good to go. We are in transition weather here last week snow and ice this week 70 temps I have no clue what to pack away clothes wise! For real my snow boots are sitting next to my flipflops.

[inmypjs]

I am liking the POD idea more and more. I am still shopping for agents though - even if the staging advice was correct I just did not like that woman...

[echoesofspring]

We're not selling but we did just buy a house that was full of stuff, so much so that it was a bit difficult to look past the stuff and their style which was not mine. And they seem to be having trouble getting it all out of there, partly why we haven't closed by now, sigh.

So I've been thinking a lot about this experience as we are showing our house to potential renters. It's obviously not the same as selling but it's a fairly high end rental so I want it to look as nice as possible. Our property mgr. said it was important for it to look lived in, but it made me realize one persons treasures are another's junk, kwim? When they came to take photos last week it took me a long time to clean up stuff but I aimed for all flat surfaces to be clear and it looked great when I was done. And sadly does no longer... The philosophy that someone should look at it and see room to grow is a great one.

[jam224]

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and many thanks to the ladies who shared their Redfin links with me! :) I'm glad to hear that several of you used PODS to help get the clutter out because that's what I'm considering doing as well.

[ang79]

We are in the process of decluttering and fixing up our house to list for sale. Our realtor suggested clearing extra clothes out of the closets to make some space (they are small closest as its an older home), clear off the kitchen counters and dressers as much as possible, move larger toys and train table to the kids playroom in the basement, try to store other toys in the main living room and girls bedrooms in bins, etc. so they are off the floor and more organized, clean all pictures, calendar, magnets off of the fridge, and move some extra pieces of furniture to the basement or storage. We have a large empty room in the basement that our deep chest freezer and the cat litter box are in, he suggested putting extra stuff in totes and storing them along one wall.

I've been clearing out toys, books, clothes, etc. to take to consignment, sell on craigslist, and donate. Our house does look less cluttered but I feel like we still have so much stuff.....and I feel like I can't put all the toys, books, and craft supplies in storage as my girls are 5 and 7. I stay at home with the 5 year old (she starts kindy in the fall) and watch a baby and 2 yr. old weekdays, so we are here all. the. time. And they need toys, books, games, etc. to play with. Plus I have baby stuff for the baby (bouncy seat, pack and play, boppy, etc.) that I use daily, it would be a pain to go without those. And preschool materials that I use for homeschool lessons for my daughter.

Our plan if we sell is to build on the separate lot we own next to where we live. We want to build a modular, but need to sell before we can afford to build. So we will be renting for about 3-4 months while the next house is being built. We originally thought a POD sitting on the next door lot would be a good choice to store a bunch of stuff. But of course they cost more than traditional storage units so DH isn't fully on board with that idea yet.

[pharmjenn]

Ang79- Our stager told us we could live our son's room and bathroom as same as we needed to, as moving is hard enough on a child without taking away all his toys. I did get rid of a dresser and toys, took down his wall clings and put lots of his toys into bins to clear up the floor space. If you have kids in the house all the time, I can't imagine getting rid of everything. Can you put the preschool materials in a cabinet/bookcase? Only allowing showings in the evenings/weekends when you can clean up more easily?

We originally thought a POD sitting on the next door lot would be a good choice to store a bunch of stuff. But of course they cost more than traditional storage units so DH isn't fully on board with that idea yet.

If you are able to keep the POD on your property, you save on the transportation charges that make it really add up. Our local center has an offer right now where they waive the delivery fees if you keep the unit for atleast 3 months. I went with that, even though we hope to get our new home in a month, thinking that if we are delayed, it will be cheaper, and if we get it back sooner, they just add the delivery fees back in.
After checking prices on the PODS website, you can call your local center. That is how I got the free delivery offer. It was not listed on the website.
Having the ability to get into the unit whenever you want, would be awesome. Much better than driving to a storage site.

Our house just got staged today. I had no idea it would take all day. I work nights and was expecting a short sleep. Got grumpy when the stager told me we still had too much clutter, and everything personal had to be gone. So I drove 30min to my mothers house and slept there. Got 6hours of quiet, and the stager was leaving when I got home. We still have stacks of stuff that needs to be crammed into the garage by 10am so the photographer can do her work. Ugh!

[ang79]

How do you get a stager to come out and arrange things for you? Is it through your realtor at an additional cost? Our realtor never mentioned anything about that, just gave us some tips and a few weeks to get the house decluttered and fixed up (which we are behind on due to storms, power outtages, sickness, etc.), then we are to schedule for the photographer to come out to do the pictures, etc.

We did move furniture out of both girls rooms and rearrange so that the rooms aren't so crowded and it opened up floor space. I do try to keep some toys, books, art and preschool stuff on open bookshelves (some of it is in clear bins on the bookshelves) so that stuff isn't on the floor. All games and puzzles are stored in a closed cabinet in the living room. And we are trying to be very good about having the girls pick things up and put them away as soon as they are done playing (which is hard because they love to make these huge set ups of animal habitats, princess and fairy lands, etc. that they will then play with for days in a row). I know its going to be a huge pain to keep up with all of this until we get the house sold, but I keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end when we are in our dream house.......

[inmypjs]

I thought I would give an update. I met with another realtor who I really liked, and we've decided to work with her. She gave similar advice about decluttering and staging as the previous one, but was more helpful about it because she talked to me about each step and how to do it with kids. She suggested that we clean out our garage first so that our 3rd stall is wide open and can be used as the start of our storage area. We will then begin to move furniture and packed things out there, and she went room by room with me to tell me what to take out. As we are doing this, if it becomes apparent that we need more space, we may get a pod. She said to do the kids' rooms last. We will take the next month to do all of this, and then we are going to hire someone to deep clean our house, as in clean all baseboards, woodwork, cupboards, light fixtures, doors, walls, etc. After that she will help us rearrange/stage what is left, and she has a person who helps with this as well. (The first realtor referred me to someone who does it and charges $75/hour.) If we do our work, it should be right before the time we have a trip planned, so hopefully the house can go on the market and some showings will happen while we are gone. The realtor we are using is also bringing me boxes from a client she has that just finished a move. Overall I know this is a daunting task, but at least now I feel like I have someone to walk me through it little by little.

[egoldber]

How do you get a stager to come out and arrange things for you? Is it through your realtor at an additional cost? Our realtor never mentioned anything about that, just gave us some tips and a few weeks to get the house decluttered and fixed up (which we are behind on due to storms, power outtages, sickness, etc.), then we are to schedule for the photographer to come out to do the pictures, etc.

There are professional staging companies. Many realtors have people they work with all the time. Before we put our old house on the market, the stager came out with the realtor. We walked through every room and they gave us suggestions on what to do. Some things we did, some we didn't.

We actually moved completely out of our house before putting it on the market. Sometimes stagers will use a combination of your own things and their things. In general, I think they prefer to use their own stuff because they know it all works together.

[squimp]

Our realtor had someone she worked with and was really happy with. I saw her sell an empty house that had a really odd configuration - I know because I looked at it at least 5 times, but people (including DH and I) just couldn't figure out how they would make it work for them. She had it professionally staged and it sold soon after that, after being on the market for probably a year.

[westwoodmom04]

OP, I feel your pain. We are looking for a new place and if we can't find one, considering a two-story addition (lots of work both ways, think I prefer to move). Spent December and January getting the minor improvements realtor suggested (some painting, some changes to kids' bathroom, new carpet in only carpeted room). Because we won't move unless/until we find a new place, no idea when we will do the final touches. We plan on getting the siding and deck powerwashed as soon as it is warm enough. Also, realtor recommended having all windows washed right before house put on market. Keep us updated on your search!

[JBaxter]

Also pull up pictures of other places on the market in your area. If things in your price range are sparse or "lived in" it will help. In our area there is a picture of a beagle laying on the master bed AND one bedroom belongs to the CAT ( litter box in picture & huge 6ft cat climber in the picture.)