(Guest post.)
Alt-Tag: A person holding a “Home for Sale” sign in front of a house, symbolizing the importance of timing your sale and move around school year cycles for families
One of the most difficult aspects of selling when you have children is avoiding relocating to a new school when the school year is already underway. If feasible, we should help our children avoid the depressing childhood fitting-in stories we all have. Timing your sale and move around school year cycles can help you avoid this challenge. Sometimes, it’s simply time to sell, and you just have to move during the school year, whether it’s because your work is moving or the housing market is where you want it to be. Such situations might result in a lack of time, which can cause parents many issues since it interferes with their children’s lives.
Top Strategies for Timing Your Sale and Move Around School Year Cycles
There are strategies to make the sale go well while supporting your children throughout this transition. This shift might be simpler for the whole family if you follow these five strategies for timing your sale and move around school year cycles.
Inform Your Children Right Away
Telling your kids as soon as you know it’s happening is the best thing you can do to support them during the transition. Even though the talk may be challenging, they will have time to prepare emotionally and understand what is happening. They can also inform friends and arrange to stay in touch after the transfer if they give enough notice.
Get the House Ready for the Season
Aside from arranging your house to sell quickly, use some seasonal décor to help potential buyers picture themselves living there. Decorate the front walk with gourds and little pumpkins if it’s fall season. Decorate the door with a colorful wreath in the winter. A light air freshener should be plugged in. Making the most of the season may expedite sales and make your home stand out from other homes that potential buyers may be considering. Don’t forget to highlight what makes your home worth the investment, as that can make a big difference in attracting serious buyers.
Arrange Showings Wisely
When the house is ready for buyers to view, arrange showings when your children are playing or participating in after-school activities rather than while they are in the middle of a meal or homework. It doesn’t hurt to attempt to schedule showings when you won’t have to disturb your entire home each time a buyer wants to look around, even if you’ll need to be adaptable.
Let the Children Support
Giving kids a task to complete might make them feel like they are contributing to the activity and distract them from their worries. Asking children to do things like raking leaves, sweeping the sidewalk, or organizing their rooms can be helpful. Moreover, labeling boxes before moving day, or any other age-appropriate chore that will help you sell your home quickly, is a good idea.
Pack Up the Kid’s Belongings
When it’s time to move with kids, ensuring a stress-free family relocation starts with thoughtful planning. One key step is packing up your child’s belongings and bedroom last. This way, their familiar items are the first to be unloaded at your new home, helping them settle in quickly and comfortably.
To make the transition smoother, involve your kids in the planning process—let them help organize their belongings, choose decorations for their new space, or even pack a special “first-night” box with their favorite toys and essentials. Additionally, arranging childcare for moving day can help keep them safe and occupied while you focus on logistics.
At the same time, hiring a reliable moving company will ease much of the physical burden, allowing you to concentrate on your family’s needs. By taking these steps, you can turn what might seem like a stressful experience into an exciting new adventure for the whole family.
Buying or Selling First
Buying First
With this plan, you’ll have a house to move into once you sell. What happens, though, if your present house doesn’t sell or doesn’t sell quickly enough? In this scenario, you will have to deal with two mortgage payments and all related costs, which we bet most families cannot afford. If you had the money, why would you want to be in that situation, to be honest? To physically “bridge” the gap between selling your existing house and purchasing your new one, you may always talk to your bank about bridge financing.
Selling First
Since you’ll know precisely how much to spend on your future home, selling first works great. Having children, however, may make this strategy a bit more stressful. When your house sells, the closing date is like a ticking time bomb, with the hours leading up to the moment you must give the new owners the key. Nevertheless, selling first usually works best since it allows you to better budget and prevents you from having two mortgages.
What about the current condition of the market?
There is a fundamental guideline that governs the market and determines whether to move and buy a new home or sell your current home first:
- Seller’s market: Since there is little inventory and homes are selling quickly, purchasing your new house first in a seller’s market is better.
- Buyer’s market: You should sell first in a buyer’s market as it will probably take longer due to more inventory and pickier customers. Maintaining two mortgages will be less risky as a result. Additionally, you’ll want more time to shop in a buyer’s market because more properties will be available.
Before deciding on a course of action, work with your real estate agent to develop one.
When Should You List?
Consult with a real estate team before making any choices. Ideally, you should contact real estate agents by March at the latest. That is because you want to be prepared to list by May at the latest, and the real estate market starts to perk up in the spring. You may sell your property by early June if everything proceeds as planned. Also, you can begin your search for a new residence to secure a closing date well before September.
Selling Your Home and Moving Before Finding a New Place
- Look into nearby storage facilities to hold your belongings until the day of the move. The ideal choice is a storage company that will bring the shipping container, move it to a storage facility, and then deliver it to your new residence.
- Ask family members close to your new school whether you may stay with them for a while. Since you have a specific departure date, it is obvious that you will not become squatters!
- For a hassle-free, on-time commute, think about renting a short-term apartment near your child’s new school before finding a new home to buy or a better apartment to rent.
Relocating Before Selling Your Home
- With more control, this is usually a less stressful situation. You can choose to move in early. Even better, you can spend your time getting your house ready by painting, changing flooring, hiring cleaners, and other tasks.
- You should relocate if the school year has begun so the children can attend easily.
- If you move before the closing date, be aware that you are responsible for any damage to your previous residence. Therefore, be ready to visit the house frequently or ask a neighbor to watch it for you.
Final Words
Life is chaotic, and you can’t always control what occurs. Timing your sale and move around school year cycles may be a difficult shift for everyone. However, improving your home’s appearance increases its appeal to potential buyers, and including your children in this process gives them a sense of control during a chaotic period.
