House Hunting With Kids: How To Make It Easier
The most memorable house hunting trip my husband and I ever went on was while I was in labor with our oldest son. We had an appointment and I was sticking to it, plus we had just left the hospital that morning with reassurance that our boy wasn’t going to arrive for a few more days and reminded that walking was the best plan for me. Even though my stubborn child didn’t make his appearance in the middle of the showing, the look on our Realtor’s face every time I had a contraction was priceless! Poor guy! He must have asked if we needed to go to the hospital a dozen times. I have no doubt that our most memorable showing, is his too!
Now that we have seven little (and not so little) ones, I have to plan house hunting days even more-so than we used to! And, believe it or not, I have to lean on people a bit more too (*smile* in a different way of course!) Here are a few ways to make house hunting with kids a bit easier:
Pick And Choose Your Viewings
It can be fun to go from home to home, not knowing what to expect, but that’s not the most practical thing with kids. If you plan to do it this way, maybe have childcare set up on the side so that they are not in for a long (possibly boring) day of turning down potential new homes. Instead, find listings online with the help of your real estate agent. Your agent should also be able to suggest some homes for you, depending on your needs and wants. Erin King Jax Historic Realty is your go-to when it comes to all things real estate related. Like I mentioned above, you should be able to find listings online with the help of your real estate agent in Jacksonville.
Luckily, Erin King designed his website to do just this. Not only is there a “quick search” option where you can search by property type, city, beds, baths, and more, but there are also featured neighborhoods on the website, which pulls up all of the home listings in certain areas such as Avondale, Riverside, St. Nicholas, San Marco, and more. They say, “It is with great pleasure that Erin welcomes you to Jacksonville, and to his website. With years of experience in the market, he knows how crucial it is for you to find relevant, up-to-date information. The search is over. His website is designed to be your one-stop shop for real estate in Jacksonville. This is the moment that you should enjoy the most; looking at the available properties in Jacksonville; imagining yourself living in the home that you have always dreamed about. You don’t want just another database that gives you rehashed property descriptions. You want to walk around the neighborhood from the comfort of your own home. You want to get a clear picture about life in sample city. That is exactly what you get here. This website has been built with you in mind. From the highest quality property images to the most informative guides and blogs, he is here to make your home buying or selling experience smooth and stress-free.”
Erin E. King is a “Best of Zillow” Realtor and is here to help you find the perfect home for yourself and your family!
Turn It Into A Fun Day
If and when you do bring your kids along to a home viewing, make it a fun event for the entire family. If you are changing towns, arrange a few activities such as local eateries, the library, or a fun park. This will show the kids that moving is not a bad thing and that there will be memories made at the places around this new house, in a new city. Get the kids involved and have them pick a few things to do, or a few homes to look at in the area. Of course, giving them choices is always helpful so that you do not waste your time, but the more you can get them involved, the better.
Be Realistic
Things happen, especially when there are children involved. If you are bringing your kids along for the day to tour homes, you and your realtor both have to be realistic when trying to plan the “perfect” day of viewing homes and coming up with potential offers. It can be hard to go from home to home, in your realtors car. Instead, schedule plenty of time in between viewing homes and try to drive yourself. This way, you can stock up the car with everything you need to take care of things and you do not have to worry about lugging car seats from car to car. You never know when you will have to make an unexpected stop for food or a diaper blow out, so be prepared to alter your plans some. As all parents know, some days are better than others, so be prepared to roll with the punches and stay realistic the entire time.
Lean On Your Real Estate Professional
At the end of the day, you will not be able to do it all, which is why you need to trust (so important!) and be able to lean on your real estate professional. They know the ins and outs of the business in real estate and if you choose someone that is familiar with your specific location, they also know the ins and outs of that area, which is extremely beneficial for you. With children, you have to be able to go with the flow and sometimes, that means that you are unable to do everything yourself. Actually, that’s a lot of the time. Like they say, it takes a village and that is true in all aspects of life, including house hunting.
Do you have an amazing “house hunting with kids” tip to share?
Tell us in the comments below!
Thanks for the great article.
I would suggest someone to help or a babysitter. It’s a big decision to make.
These are great tips, thanks for sharing! My kids are usually pretty into it, they love driving around and looking at houses! Especially when we can go inside and look around.
These are great tips. Very helpful article for those in this position.
Locations, and community around is important, offer the kids distractions while you hunt
My kids enjoy looking at one or two houses, but that’s it. I try not to overbook our appointments.
Great article, I always just get a sitter.
I was so worried about it becoming a big stress when we were looking… but fortunately we found our perfect dream home right away and my fears were put to rest. 🙂
What a great idea to mix in kid centric activities in between house showings. Aside from getting to know the city more, the kids can have fun and won’t get too bored.