Home Buying with Small Children
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Having young children at home is the best! They are the cutest, they say the silliest things, they love cuddles and always want to play with you. They are also the most challenging, as you know. Buying a home is one of the most stressful and challenging endevors, and doing it with small kids in tow is even tougher. Luckily I have a lot of experience with both! The National Association of Realtors did a big survey of home buyers with children under 18, and the results quantify what I’ve been thinking are the added challengers for you (and me).
Childcare costs (Oregon was 15th in the country in 2018 at $11,322) are the biggest issue. 26% of buyers delay or change their home search due to the cost of childcare. Are you in this boat?
Location desirability is driven by quality of schools and proximity to schools. Portland is definetly affected by this deeply. You can research schools, districts, and private and charter schools at Great Schools.
Parents make compromises. Um, did a non-parent come up with this bombshell? You guys, parents actually take the quality of life of their children and families into account when they make huge decisions! Right? Parents will sacrifice on the condition and size of the property, price, lot size, and architectural style due to the costs of childcare or be near the best school for their children.
Communication: Texting is King! Buyers with children prefer that their real estate agent communicate via text message—more so than buyers without children under the age of 18. I also am going to add in my experience and preference- no communication between 5 and 8pm. This is the general dinner, play, bath, bedtime window, so let’s not talk or even text then. We will all be ready at about 8pm! Or up at 6am together! When you know, you know.
More Space is a Must! On average, buyers with children purchased a 2,110-square-foot home with four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. That’s still pretty compact living compared to McMansions, and hopefully provides enough room for family and friends to be a part of the household. Multigenerational living is a passion of mine, read more here!
Selling Your House Too? 23% of survery participants with children under the age of 18 sold their home “very urgently,” and 46% say they had to sell “somewhat urgently.” Sellers with children sold their previous for reasons such as the home was too small (25%), job relocation (19%), or a change in family situation (13%).
Selling your current home quickly, efficiently, and for the most is my mission, and makes the whole process much easier for kids. Go to the beach for a long weekend, let’s have it in contract within 5 days.
