The idea of staging a home to sell might have you thinking that it is next to impossible when you are living with kids. You might ask yourself “How can I make a home look show ready with little ones or teenagers running around?” While it is more of a challenge, it is possible to make your home appeal to more buyers, even with kids in the home.
The key to staging is to make your home stand out to the largest pool of likely buyers as possible. While your home may be a dream for a family with kids, not everyone that is interested in your home will have kids. With keeping that important information top of mind, it’s crucial to stage your home with a large variety of buyers in mind, and that means simplifying your home as much as possible.
We are coming up on back to school here in Metro Detroit and that means the kids will have sports, concerts, and school projects, on top of their toys! So, we thought it was imperative to offer some home staging tips that will keep your home from turning off potential buyers.
Home Staging Tips for Families with Kids
Minimizing your kids’ items.
The most significant step to staging a home with kids is to minimize the clutter that accumulates and obvious indications of children. This means proper storage of their toys is necessary. You can easily accomplish this with containers that can slide under the bed or hide away in the closet, preferably in a neutral and solid color (best to blend in). However, our advice is to take it a step further and par down what is in the house.
If buyers open a closet door and it’s filled to the brim, that will give them the impression that the home doesn’t have adequate storage and could potentially turn into a buyer’s objection.
Set some time aside to have your kids pick out their favorite toys and keep these items accessible by putting in pretty baskets or bins in the home, and then store the rest in a garage or tuck neatly away in the basement. The same goes for seasonal clothes and shoes – remove as much as possible and keep only what the kids will need while the house is on the market. If buyers open a closet door and it’s filled to the brim, that will give them the impression that the home doesn’t have adequate storage and could potentially turn into a buyer’s objection.
This will require a little extra work before you start moving, but it will have a huge effect on the impression buyers will get from your home. Bonus: You may get rid of things that are no longer serving your family and is a great chance to donate to charity. Humble Design Detroit is one of our favorite charities! Check them out at: Humble Design
Neutralizing your kids’ bedrooms and play areas. While the lovable and sweet décor in your kids’ rooms may be appealing to your family and other homeowners who have kids in the same age group and gender, chances are there are going to be a lot of buyers who will use those rooms differently. Keeping the walls pink or Minion themed wallpaper will leave many buyers feeling like there is a lot of work to tackle before they can actually move in and call the place home. They will be likely to pass, keep their eyes open for a more move-in ready property down the street. Paint the walls in a neutral color and switch out any specific decorative items, such as special switch plates, themed curtains, or wallpaper border. This doesn’t mean their furniture needs to be replaced, but a fresh coat of paint will do wonders!
Free up one of the bedrooms.
Now this may be the most difficult task, but if your kids currently have two separate rooms, if possible, consider having them share a space while the home is up for sale. You can then stage the extra bedroom as a home office or guest bedroom to appeal to a wider range of buyers and show the possibilities of the space.
The same can be true for a space that is currently being used as a play area or playroom. While this would probably be appealing to a buyer with kids that would use this space, you risk drastically cutting your pool of buyers if you are choosing to only cater to them. It would be best to pack up the playroom and put the contents in storage and stage that extra space as a multi-functional family space that could be used for all ages.
Take down family photographs and kids’ artwork.
During the school year, it is going to be hard, but also necessary to put away family photos, kids’ artwork, and school accomplishments hung on the refrigerator. But it is always a must during the staging process, as seeing photos of the family that currently lives there are distracting. A big goal is to depersonalize during home staging. Also, take down any mismatched magnets, calendars, or other personalized items. We suggest dedicating a drawer in the kitchen for these personal items, so they can easily be tucked away for showings, without getting rid of those items permanently.
Clean up and repair any marks or damages left behind.
Any crayon marks on the walls, stains from spilled beverages and markers, or other comparable damages should be taken care of before your first showing. Buyers want to feel confident that the home has been taken care of and maintained. Don’t make this mistake and overlook it, because unfortunately, a home with children will more than likely have buyers wondering what wear and tear the property has experienced. So, don’t give them any opportunity to point out their buyer objections when it can be easily fixed with a magic eraser and a quick paint touch up! You want these potential buyers to walk in and fall in love, so do not give them the chance to think yours is in anything other than tip-top shape.
For tips on how to use Magic Erasers, check out https://www.mrclean.com/en-us/how-to/walls/scuff-marks-are-off-the-wall. We use these at our warehouse all the time, we swear by them!
Clean the house regularly.
Before any home goes on the market, it’s important to do a very deep-clean ahead of time. It might be worth it to invest in a professional cleaning service to do a deep and thorough cleaning, so you can focus on maintaining it daily without taking too much time. Even the smell of the home is crucial these days when you are trying to attractive the perfect buyer. Each day, wipe the surfaces down, mop and vacuum the floors, and clean up any clutter, schoolwork, toys, that may have accumulated. A chore chart will help the whole family participate (and this can go in the drawer in the kitchen, too!) It’s a lot of work, but it will pay off in the end when buyers are impressed with your home and the offers start pouring in, over asking and quickly!
Always remember: a professionally staged home stands out as well maintained, move in ready, and cared for!
Be sure to follow these tips and more for staging your home with kids. This will allow the largest pool of buyers to be interested in your home and will keep your property top of mind. Always remember: a professionally staged home stands out as well maintained, move in ready, and cared for! If you are in the Southeast Michigan region, for more personalized advice to help sell your home for a more profitable sale, please feel free to contact us, as we are your go-to resource Home Staging Experts!
