When showing a home to buyers, it's best not to have toys -- and kids -- underfoot. (Photo: iStockphoto)
Last week, I blogged about how pet owners should clean up after their pets and perhaps keep them out of the house (e.g., take Fido out for a walk) while showing one's home to prospective buyers.
The same applies for homeowners who have children. Obviously, toys should be picked up before an open house or showing, and any damage to a home (e.g., fingerprints or finger painting on the walls) should be cleaned up before a house is put up for sale. But that doesn't mean you can't have any toys out. Buyers expect to see at least a few playthings (ideally, neatly displayed) in a child's room or playroom. And buyers who have young children themselves may be drawn to your home if you have a particularly cute or appealing children's room or play area.
Also be sure to clean off your fridge and front door -- you may like to adorn those surfaces with your child's artwork (like I do -- the back door is also covered), but to a buyer, all those magnets and papers will just look messy, explains Kathryn Higgins, an associate broker with DJK Residential in Manhattan.
Higgins does something that I think is quite smart when she shows a property with young children -- she asks the homeowner to take the children out (e.g., to a playground or out to the movies) during an open house or a showing, so that potential buyers won't trip over them and so the children won't make a mess or be too loud. If a child will be present during a showing, Higgins often brings something (like crayons and a coloring book) to give to the child so he or she will be happy and occupied during the showing.
I think both are great ideas. I still live in my first home and haven't ever put it on the market or had any showings -- but I know what it's like to clean my home for company and then have my children come through like a whirlwind a few seconds later and create a new mess. So I can understand why perhaps not having them underfoot during an open house or showing would be a good idea. Even if they are cute!—Lauren Baier Kim