Mission (Almost) Impossible: Staging a San Diego Home With Children

Arguably, the most important task to complete when selling a San Diego home is staging.  Staging a San Diego house can bring in more buyers, more interest, and higher offers.  

But many San Diego homeowners worry about how they are going to maintain a staged home while taking care of their family – especially if they have young children in the home.  It is an important step to take to avoid buyers from walking away because of the mess inside the home.

Have Patience

One room that is the biggest concerns for parents is their children’s rooms.  These rooms are inherently messy as the children play and explore. While leaving most of this mess out when buyers walk through is going to be frowned on, that does not mean that the children cannot play.

It is important to pack away any toys, games, or extra items that the children are not playing with.  If there are items they have not touched in years it is a good time to get rid of some old items and clear away the clutter.  This is a good time to start to depersonalize the house, as well.

While the San Diego home does not have to be void of any personality, it should be neutral for all buyers.  Buyers with and without children will be walking through. Some buyers may find children’s toys endearing while others will think of the stress that children can put on different fixtures or appliances in the home.  

Keeping It Organized

The large toys like the massive dollhouse, playhouse, or carefully crafted block, sets should be packed away.  These items are big and distracting.  

After these large items are gone it is time to look at the small items in the house.  While the children may color every morning while waiting for the bus it is not necessary to leave crayons scattered across the table.

Start by finding some decorative storage bins.  These bins can be used to organize and to decorate a room.  They are great to fill with items like crayons, small action figures, and various spare toys that tend to linger in the hallways.  

Avoid Major Messes

Think about what will cause the biggest messes.  Spaghetti with a two-year-old, pancakes with syrup, painting pictures and playing outside on rainy days.  These are all fantastic activities for the days that buyers will not be walking through the home on short notice.  While it can put a slight damper on the fun, avoid these messy activities to avoid needing to clean up huge messes at the last minute.

Take a Second Look

After cleaning the entire house pack up the children and get ready to leave the house while the buyers walk through.  This is a good time to do one last look through the rooms. Look at areas that will get used or touched often. Door handles and faucets are likely smudged and messy.  Items that easily get messy like mirrors and windows may need a quick clean, as well.

Staging a San Diego house is not always fun for a homeowner.  But in order to sell, they are going to need to keep their house clean and organized.  With children, this task is even harder.  

While it is not impossible, it will require planning.  Using storage bins, asking children to pitch in, and keeping a careful eye on messes will help San Diego sellers stay on top of keeping their home pristine.