This week’s Q&A column is sponsored and written by Hope Peele of The Peele Group and Corcoran McEnearney, the leading real estate firm in Alexandria. To learn more about this article and relevant Alexandria market news, contact The Peele Group at 703-244-6115 or email [email protected]. You may also submit your questions to Corcoran McEnearney via email for response in future columns.
Question: Should I bring my children when looking for our new home?
Answer: Bringing children along when viewing homes can be tricky. You might be concerned about them getting too attached to a home or even the objects inside the home! You also might be concerned about them running around in the home and potentially upsetting the staging. But, in my experience, bringing your children in on your home search can be an asset — with the right approach.
Here are some tips on how to make it easier:
Set expectations. Explain to your children that they will be visiting new houses, but it is different from visiting a friend. Running and playing inside might not be as safe as it usually is.
There might be rooms set up with fun things but let them know that they should think of these tours like visits to a store. The items in the home are just for looking at and not for taking home.
It is also important to note that if a home is completely staged it is very possible that the beds aren’t real. In some cases, it might look like a comfy king bed — complete with ample pillows and comforters — but it is really just an air mattress precariously balanced on a few empty boxes.
Another factor to consider is that other buyers have been through the home, and could have fiddled with locks, etc. I never thought about this, until I experienced what could have been a pretty scary situation.
I was touring a home with a good friend, her husband, and their two young children. Her daughter wanted to check out one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind her to get the full experience. It turned out that someone had tested the door lock before her, so she was locked in the bedroom. Luckily, her parents were able to coach her to open the door and let herself out, but it was an important lesson that I was thankful to have learned, with few consequences.
Bring entertainment and snacks. If you will be touring more than one home, pack a tablet, books, or toys to keep them occupied, as well as a snack. If a home is staged to appeal to families with children, it is likely that there will be toys in the home. It is always a good idea to have your own toys, so it isn’t as upsetting for them when you need to leave toys behind. Snacks can also be very helpful for maintaining stamina. Of course, you know your child best, so plan ahead if there is a chance that your home tours will run into a mealtime.
Don’t get outnumbered. If there are more children than parents, it can be useful to enlist help. The main benefit of this is that you will have more freedom to actually look at the home. Depending on the age of your children, you can always introduce them to your Realtor and have them hang out while you look around. Of course, I am personally biased to this option, as I enjoy hanging with the kids!
Limit visits. Viewing multiple houses in one day can be exhausting for kids. Honestly, from my experience, it is exhausting for adults, too. Try to keep it to just a few per day. When you see more than three or four at a time it can be hard to maintain energy, and remember which homes have what specific features. Children are much more likely to get exhausted and that could potentially impact your impression of the home.
Get them involved. Older children may enjoy choosing their future room or looking for fun nearby places. Let them know that you are in the home search, but don’t let them know that they have a new home until it is a done deal.
Of course, every family is unique and sometimes the decision to bring your children isn’t in your hands. These are just a few ideas to help make that home search smoother!
If you are looking for a local, experienced agent to guide you through the process, negotiate on your behalf and ensure that you make informed decisions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Hope Peele is a licensed real estate agent with Corcoran McEnearney in Alexandria, Virginia. She grew up in Old Town and currently lives in Del Ray. As a partner with The Peele Group, Hope is dedicated to guiding her clients successfully through the many-faceted process of buying or selling a home. Contact Hope at 703-244-6115.
If you would like a question answered in our weekly column or to set up an appointment with one of our associates, please email [email protected] or call 703-549-9292.
Corcoran McEnearney, 109 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, corcoranmce.com. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.
