• Create Your Real Estate Business Cards and Stationery
  • Superior Quality Printing
  • Enhance Your Real Estate Brand
  • Market Your Real Estate Brand
  • Create Your Social Media Images

How to Sell a Home to Families with Children

Do you like kids?

No really. Do you like kids or do you pretend to like kids? As a real estate agent, you really should try to develop a genuine connection with children. Families are a huge part of the real estate market and becoming comfortable around children can go a long way with parents becoming comfortable with you.

Selling to families with children is a lot like selling to couples, just with a lot more variables to factor in. If you keep some of these tips in mind, you’ll be able to better service the needs of the family and find them a perfect home and neighborhood for the kids to grow up in.

Find out Their Family Structure

Now more than ever, families are different. The “nuclear” family of the mother, father, and two and a half kids is long gone. Now we have huge families, small families, same-sex families, and blended families. Finding out about the structure of a family and its needs can go a long way toward making a sale.

For example, if you’re working with a mother or father who is separated from their spouse and has shared custody of the children, they’re likely going to want a home in reasonably close proximity to the kids. Learning details like this will allow you to customize the sales experience to the family, allowing you to show them the houses that are better fits for their situations.  

Learn the Neighborhood

Parents want to know far more about a home than just the floorplan, amenities, and price. If they’re going to be moving their children into the neighborhood, they’ll want to know if it’s a safe place for youngsters. They’ll also want to know how close the schools are (both elementary and high school), hospitals, and entertainment centers like parks and movie theaters.

You’ll need to have the answers to their questions about the neighborhood on hand without a second thought. If they love the home, it’s the neighborhood that could be the closer. Likewise, if they aren’t entirely sold on a home but love the neighborhood, the right information about the area could tip scales in your favor.

Know the Neighborhood Demographics

If you’re a real estate agent who’s worked in the same market for years, you’ll start to notice how neighborhood demographics are cyclical. Over a 15 year or so period, a neighborhood full of young parents and their toddlers will eventually develop into a neighborhood full of empty nesters. Then, as those empty nesters start to retire and potentially move into smaller homes, you might see an entirely new generation of young parents and their kids move in.

As a real estate agent, you should know where neighborhoods are in this cycle. Is the neighborhood full of teenagers now? Are there toddlers roaming the backyards? Have all the children left for university? You should know these answers when suggesting neighborhoods for families to move to. If you’re having trouble finding this kind of information, simply drive around the neighborhood. Are there bikes in driveways? Swings in the backyards? Clues like this can give you an insight into the family age demographics of a neighborhood.

What are the Ages of the Kids?

There is a world of difference between living with toddlers, grade school children, and teenagers. A family’s needs for their home could change depending on the age of the kids.

Open concept homes are hugely popular right now and can make for excellent residences for parents with toddlers or small children. Being able to check on them playing in the living room while you make supper in the kitchen can save time, energy, and stress. But as children grow, they start to want more and more privacy. Being able to check in on your 6 year old and their friends playing in the living room is one thing, being able to check in on your teenager and their friends is another.

If you’re selling a home to parents with older children, more private spaces might be appreciated by the entire family. In this case, closed concept homes will allow everyone to have slightly more “alone” time, something that can be appreciated by teenagers and parents of teenagers alike.

 

Of course, all of the usual selling strategies come into play when you’re working to find a family a home. You need to make sure that they understand all aspects of the deal. Be completely upfront with them about downsides of a potential home, and serve their needs first.

You should also make sure that you have all of your branded real estate stationery, including folders and envelopes, ready, along with your real estate business cards. At SureFactor, you can design all of these products with our customization tools in no time at all. These, along with our other real estate products, come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, along with a low price guarantee. Visit our website today and see how we can help you connect to families and help them find the home of their dreams.