7 Tips For Staging and Selling Your Home With Kids Around

In a dream world, your home will always look beautiful and clean. Especially when your REALTOR® calls and says that they are bringing a couple over to see your home. In a real world, this could be when all pandemonium breaks loose, especially because you're selling and showing with your kids in tow. While this can seem stressful, Gattermeir Davidson is here to help, and we want to make this as easy as possible. Here are a few tips to make the staging and showing process a little easier when you have children in the house.

Sneaky Storage

You'll want to get creative about storing items right before a showing. Since you won't want your everyday items lying around the house (bibs, placemats, soap, and cleaning supplies, etc.), you can dedicate a drawer to the storage of those items. You will also want to hide items that you store in your shower and on your bathroom sink. You can purchase a plastic caddy to put these items in, and then store them neatly under the sink till it's over.

To-Go Bags For Everyone

Create a to-go bag for you and the kids in advance. When your favorite Lake of the Ozarks real estate agent calls, you'll be ready to grab the bags and go, and still have everything you need. You can include a change of clothes, drinks, snacks, a few fun toys and any other necessities that they may need. You can also create a bag for yourself with snacks, drinks, makeup, and gum or breath mints. You'll be ready at a moments notice to leave your home and you won't have to rush around finding everything you need.

Minimum Toys and Clothes

To help cut down on the clutter, you will have to pack twice. Once for the showing, and once when you move. For the first packing, you'll want to cut down on the clutter. You can start by only choosing a few of your kids favorite toys to keep out, and pack the ones that have 500+ pieces. You can also pack away all art supplies - these will only add to the last minute chaos before a showing. Give everyone a ten-day wardrobe, this will help make your closet look bigger, and also cut down on the laundry. You won't want piles of clothes lying around at a showing.

Start Organizing and Cleaning Early

By starting, at least, a month in advance, you can get ahead in organizing your home. By removing clutter and unnecessary items, you can make the moving process go much faster. You can have garage sales, or donate the things you don't need to the local thrift stores. Remember that the less clutter, the better. You'll want lots of space in your closets, to make it look like there is plenty of room. Don't forget to have your kids help with this process. You can give allowances to older kids, and use a reward system for the younger ones. The cleaning process will go much faster when you have them on your side.

Plan Out of Home Activities

Because you'll want to get your kids out of the house when your real estate agent comes to show your house, you can make a list of things you want to do. From the going to the park, feeding the ducks, having a scavenger hunt at the mall, or going out for ice cream - a pre-made list will keep you from driving around town aimlessly or sitting in a parking lot waiting to go home. You can also take this time to run errands that need done.

Prepare Oven Dinners

One way to save some of the mess in your kitchen is to prepare oven dinners. This can save you a lot of stove top cleaning, and also help keep the pots and pans clean. You can also consider doing crockpot meals to cut down on even more dishes.

Last Minute Clean Up

When your real estate agent calls to tell you that they will be stopping by your house shortly, it's time to run through the house and do a spot check. Wipe off counters, pick up the toys, run a vacuum over the carpet and sweep the hard floors. Don't forget to check the bathroom mirrors for spots as well. If you want to find an easy way to make the beds and also hide those cartoon bedspreads that your kids love, make the beds with a blanket that matches the room. Then let your kids sleep on top of that blanket with their bedspreads, and when you're ready to make the room look nice, throw the bedspread underneath the bed for an instantly made bed!

Hire the Best Real Estate Company at the Lake of the Ozarks

Gatermeir Davidson is ready to help you sell your home, and do it professionally and quickly. The Gattermeir Davidson team is committed to excellence. We work with each seller to achieve maximum value on the home while working to sell the home as quickly as possible. This happens as a result of proper pricing, marketing, and staging. Once a good offer is made from a buyer, we are the strongest negotiators at the Lake. We work non-stop on your behalf to make the deal happen. You simply couldn't have a better team behind your real estate deal. When you're ready to sell a Lake of the Ozarks home, contact us, and we'll help you get it done!


2011 REALTOR Salesperson of the Year
Missouri Association of Realtors

Gattermeir Davidson Real Estate, LLC
752 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Suite A
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Office | 573.365.1555
Fax | 573.365.1766
Location: Osage Beach, MO, USA

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