This really isn't a huge issue if addressed. I use a company called CSS to schedule showings on my listings. All buyer's agents must set up showings through them. I can simply block out that time from showings and note it in the MLS. I ask for some understanding from my sellers that an exception could be asked for and its up to them. If so, the baby's room is off limits during that showing and I have my client remind the buyers upon arrival.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We arranged to be out of town the first two weekends after our house went on the market which was very smart because we got tons of showings those weekends.

This (too).

So would it be advisable to wait to list it until the week/weekend I am going to be out of town? I am taking my kid to visit my parents the week of September 22 through that following weekend. We had planned to list with the first weekend being on the market Sept. 14/15. Worth it to delay another two weeks?

We're clearly in no urgent need to move given our child is only 2 and won't be starting public school for some time, however, I would ideally like to wrap all this up before the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.

15:33 that would totally turn me off of of the house, and yes we have bought and sold with kids. Selling a house sucks, selling with kids sucks more. But if you want to get it done quickly, price accordingly, spruce it up, clear the clutter and BE GONE while people are looking.

Anonymous wrote:We arranged to be out of town the first two weekends after our house went on the market which was very smart because we got tons of showings those weekends.

This (too).

Not ideal for people to be in the house at showing, but I like to think shoppers for a house suitable for children would be cool about it. That is, come on over and peek quietly into the sleeping kid's room on the tour (perhaps with a parent hunkered in there staying out of the way of the tour) or schedule around nap time.

We did this earlier this year. I am not going to lie, it sucked. It was so stressful dealing with all the showings and it was very distruptive to all of our lives. We remained as flexible as possible which meant that naps were often short or disrupted. We arranged to be out of town the first two weekends after our house went on the market which was very smart because we got tons of showings those weekends. Our house luckily sold within a week and a half. I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to be done with the process.

When we did this, I was as flexible as possible (I'm a SAHM so it was a bit more difficult) but DS is a nightmare without his morning nap (he was 8 months old at the time). I told our agent that I would prefer no showings between 9-11, but if this became difficult then I'd like 48 hours notice in the event that someone needed to see it during those hours. This allowed me to arrange somewhere else to be with DS (usually my parents).

His afternoon nap was more flexible so if it was 30 min later or 30 min shorter, it wasn't a big deal.

When we did this, I committed myself to being as flexible and cooperative as I could be for the first two weeks. This meant I said yes to anyone who wanted to come by. If my kiddo was already asleep, then I either tried to wake him up or let the people peek in the room while he was sleeping. The latter happened especially if they wanted to come by after work and after his bedtime. Our house sold in a week, actually to the couple who just peaked into the nursery because it was late.

After the first two weeks, then I think it's fair to set limits on when your house can be seen. Maybe confirm with your real estate agent, just in case.

Good luck!!

Anonymous wrote:Partly it depends on how desirable your neighborhood is. If you're in a great location, you can say, 'showings between 10-12' (or whatever) and STILL have your house sold within days. If your location isn't as 'hot' - the more restrictions you place on showing the longer it will take your house to sell.

OP here: Definitely not a hot area as the school sucks and is (along with the 11 mile commute that somehow takes over an hour on the way home) the main reason we are leaving. (Kids were not in our plan when we purchased, so we were looking for space/floor plan/a 2 car garage rather than schools at the time.)

I'd be concerned about putting many (if any) restrictions on showings. I think I will try to line up a friend, though our closest friends are our neighbors and they are not going to be amused with us when we announce we are listing...

Yeah, 3 hours on a weekend afternoon is kind of a lot to have your home completely off limits for showing--since most showings occur on weekend afternoons.

When our house was on the market, I would take my son out of his bed very carefully, transfer him to his carseat, and drive around so he would stay asleep. I was fortunate to have a fairly heavy sleeper.

Do you have any local friends who would let you come over and use their guest room for an afternoon nap? We had this option lined up and used it on one of the days there were showings. My daughter was about 2.5 at the time and luckily can sleep just about anywhere.

Partly it depends on how desirable your neighborhood is. If you're in a great location, you can say, 'showings between 10-12' (or whatever) and STILL have your house sold within days. If your location isn't as 'hot' - the more restrictions you place on showing the longer it will take your house to sell.

Pain in the a$$. Sorry OP. Try and price your house right and have it looking it's best to hopefully have it sell quickly. You can also have your realtor note that showings need to occur between x o'clock and x o'clock. It doesn't always work and there's no guarantee that other realtors and buyers will honor your request, but you can try.

Yup. My toddler either napped in the car, the stroller as I circled the block or was woken up early from bed. It was extremely disruptive, especially because I sah, so it was daily.

We're getting ready to put our house on the market within the next two weeks. Which will obviously entail showings and open houses. Open houses I can fairly easily plan around since we get to decide when to have those.

Showings though. During the week the 2 year old is in daycare, so not a problem. But on weekends, a 3 hour nap each afternoon is pretty standard. Just wake the kid up and get out of the house? She's kind of a beast without a nap and even worse when you wake her early from one.