Selling Your Home When You Have Young Children

Mortgage News from Quicken Loans

You may have bought your home because the school district it resides in is among the best in its respective state. Or, perhaps the school district has matured during the many years you have lived there and now is worthy of high regard.

When it then comes time to sell your home, an alluring selling point for potential home buyers often times can be the quality of education the local school district provides. It’s an angle you should definitely look to leverage when you are putting your house on the market.

Be sure to consider that your buyers may not have school-aged children as of yet, however they are savvy, forward-thinking individuals who are preparing themselves for those days when bus stops and lunchboxes bearing the latest pop culture icon become part of their daily routine.

Another selling tactic that can potentially increase appeal, if you have a lot of potential home buyers that are parents with young children, is childproofing your home. Having a home that meets the latest standards in childproofing may be a wise and profitable way to heighten its appeal to this target audience when you go to sell your home.

If you have never raised young children in your home, here are some of the latest and most popular child-proofing action items you can employ in order to bolster you home's value in the eyes of potential buyers with young ones:

  • Cabinet locks. Install these in areas where potentially dangerous items are stored, such as under the kitchen sink cabinet. These keep curious young minds from getting a hold of various cleaning supplies and other items that may be poisonous.
  • Appliance locking straps. These easy to install items prevent kids from opening ovens, dishwashers and toilets
  • Fireplace gate. Fire = hot = ouch! Living room fireplaces are a common fixture in many homes, particularly newer ones. This preventative measure can be a superb way to allay the initial fears of people viewing your home
  • Smoke detectors. Make sure you install one near every bedroom and in common areas throughout the house. Consider adding a carbon monoxide detector as well.
  • Electrical outlet covers. These plastic inserts for electrical outlets are an inexpensive and easy fix that can go a long way in helping a potential buyer visualize their child playing or living in that space.
  • Curtain/blinds cord cleats. Install these cleats next to windows and wrap around them the cord used to draw the curtains or blinds. This is a fantastic way to eliminate a potential choking hazard.

Each of these are subtle and inexpensive ways to amp up the level of interest home buyers with kids may have in your home. If "near excellent schools" is one of the selling points for your home, use these quick, easy fixes to broaden its appeal to buyers with or soon to have school-aged children.

This article is reprinted by permission from Quicken Loans © 2007 Quicken Loans Inc. All rights reserved.

 

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