House Shopping: When to Include the Kids
House shopping can be tricky. Buying a house is often one of the biggest purchases a family ever makes. The adults in the family have to compare houses and make hard choices to find the perfect house for their family. And, since the kids will live there, too, it’s important to get them involved as well. The best time to include the kids is usually when you’ve narrowed the choices down to a few.
Too Early to Include the Kids
You definitely don’t want to bring the kids along while you’re trying to figure out how much you need to spend to get the most items on your wish list. As adults, most of us understand we can’t buy every home we look at, but just looking helps us figure out what we can’t live without. Kids fall in love with “cool” features and spaces, then they may not love any other house but that one.
Kids, Are You Ready To See Our Favorite Houses?
By taking them to see the final homes you’re considering later, you have the opportunity to highlight the features you know they’ll love. Plus you can ask them how they would use this room or decorate this space.
Our daughter as a child loved nooks and crannies, window seats and covered porches. She’d crawl in closets and storage areas, exploring all the places adults would never enter. To this day, when I see a storage crawlspace or a window seat, I’ll say, “Rachel would love that.” It’s fun learning those interesting things your kids love about houses.
Give the Kids a Task to Complete
One way to include them in the decision making process is to give them a task to complete. Go check out the backyard. Make sure there’s no holes in the fence, and the gate opens and closes easily. See if you hear any barking dogs nearby. Even if you’ve already done all these things, it gives them a way to be involved.
While you’re checking out the school district of the homes you’re visiting, make sure you hang a basketball goal if that’s important to your family. It’s important to check about the rules of your homeowners association or local zoning laws that might impact your family.
Once you’ve made an offer that’s been accepted, celebrate as a family. Talk about all the fun things your family will experience in your new home. The move is going to be lots of work, so set the tone for a fun move right away.
Please Comment Below!
I lived in the same home for almost my entire childhood. As an adult, we’ve lived in lots of homes and lots of places. Please comment below how you included your kids or you were included in a family house shopping experience.