Take the Hassle Out of Relocating With Kids

Author: Alex Hall

Moving is never easy, especially when you have a family. You’re uprooting the little ones from everything they know and love, including their school and their friends, which is a difficult process at their age. While you’re dealing with these intense emotional issues, you still have to visit new properties, welcome potential buyers to your home, and get those boxes packed before the big day. It’s a huge job that could overwhelm you if you’re not prepared. With that in mind, here are some suggestions to simplify relocating.

Find the Right Locale
 
It was so much easier to find a home when you were first married and all you had to think about were the price, your preferences, and the distance from work. With a family, things are more complicated. A realtor writing for networking site LinkedIn insists that you add a good school district and proximity to parks to your list of criteriawhen choosing the right neighborhood.
 
Get Enough Space
 
This is the home where the kids are going to pass their childhood and grow into young adults, which brings some additional demands when narrowing down available properties. They’re going to need a place to play indoors, which could be a basement converted into a recreation roomor a large salon kitted out with an entertainment system. There’s also the yard to consider for barbecues, family get-togethers, and games of catch.
 
Board Your Pet
 
They get in the way while you’re moving, and all that activity makes dogs and cats nervous. One solution is to take your four-legged friend to a kennel or a dog boarder. Both provide the food, water and playtime that pets need to stay healthy, though you may want to pay a visit and ask a few questions about their services before committing. If you can’t be parted from your dog for a few days, hire a dog-walkingservice to get them out of the house for a few hours.
 
Choose the Right Time
 
Have you ever wondered why there are so many houses for sale in late spring? It’s because most people want their kids to stay in the same school until summer vacation, then start the next academic year in the new location. Moreover, according to an article in lifestyle website Lifehacker, you’ll get moreout of the sale, with the average home rising $1,500 in price when put on the market during that time of year.
 
Purge Old Belongings
 
If you’re a neat freak, this is going to be fun. If you’re sentimental about your possessions, not so much. Commonly referred to as decluttering, getting rid of things you don’t need anymore is mandatory if you want to save money, time, and sanity on your move. One way to proceed is to take each item you own in your hand and decide whether you love it or not. Those things that don’t make the cut can be sold at a garage sale.
 
Use a System for Packing
 
That way, you’ll know where everything is when it’s time to unpack and put everything in its place in the new home, including your kids’ toys and books, which are sure to take up some serious space. A home stager writing for the Denver Post highly recommends getting started two or three weeks in advance, then following a strategythat involves marking boxes so you know what is where. Other tricks include using towels to wrap dishes and other fragile items.
 
Get Settled In
 
Once you’re there and unpacked, the fun begins. It’s time to start making a real home for yourself by exploring the local area. You’ll need to find a few new hangouts, including a restaurant for eating out on Fridays and a good movie theater. And don’t forget to make some friends. You may even want to throw a housewarming party and invite the neighbors. They’d be happy to get to know you over a bit of barbecue.
 
After all of that effort, you deserve a good time. You’ve accomplished a lot moving with the family, so enjoy the good times wherever you find them, especially your new neighborhood.