Help Your Whole Family Move

Moving can be a stressful process that affects parents, kids, and pets alike. Your kids and pets have known your old residence as their only home, and they likely won’t be thrilled by the move. But if you keep your kids involved in the moving process and keep your pets as comfortable as possible, moving to the new home will be a smoother transition for your whole family.

Six Moving Tips for Kids

You want the kids to love your new home as much as you do. Let them love the house by participating in the whole moving process. Here are a few ways you can help your children take part:

Get their feedback. If you are down to a couple of house choices, get some feedback from your kids. Show them photos or tour the houses you are considering, and ask them what they think about it. Let them know their feedback matters by taking their comments into consideration when you’re ready to buy so that they can feel involved in the move.

Let them pack. Little kids worry about their favorite toys getting lost along the way, so let them pack their own special box. Bring their special things in the car with you if at all possible. You can even treat the move like along vacation by bringing along snacks and activities for the ride to your new home.

Map out the move. While your family is driving to the new house, give the kids a map or let them use the GPS to follow the route. Have them mark down interesting places you pass along the way when you’re all driving back to see friends and family. When you’re at your new home, let them map out what fun things are around the area.

Make room plans. You don’t have to limit planning to just their bedrooms. If your kids want to help decorate the new house, let them pick out some paint colors or new pieces of furniture. Give your older kids a budget for decorating their new rooms. It’s a great way to make them feel at home.

Give them a task. Unpacking a family home is hard work. If possible, unpack room by room so that everyone does not get overwhelmed. Make a list and include tasks such as meeting the new neighbors or organizing all the boxes by room, or even have the smaller kids draw a “do not disturb” sign for the pets.

Five Tips for Comforting Family Pets

Pets can also get stressed by the move. Let them know they will be coming with the family and make sure they will be as comfortable as possible on the way to the new house.

Update their tags. You don’t want your furry friend getting lost along the way! If something does happen, you’ll want someone to find your pet, so make sure that he or she is wearing a sturdy collar with a tag labeled with your name, your new home’s location, and a frequently used home or cell phone number so you can be contacted during the moving process.

Keep your pets safe. Moving is loud and scary to pets. Keep them enclosed in a secure area so that they don’t escape and so that they feel more comfortable. If you want, you can put up a “do not disturb” sign to keep movers from opening the door and letting them out. Also make sure that their crates are sturdy so that dogs and cats who are nervous nibblers cannot run away.

Bring them in the car. If you’re driving to your destination, keep your dog in a crate or restraining harness and your cat in a ventilated carrier. Secure their carriers with seat belts to prevent them from jostling around, and keep them occupied with toys.

Prepare their new home. Pets are frightened by unfamiliar settings, so make sure to set out their favorite toys and food immediately. Pack their food, medicine, litter box, and leash so everything is easily accessible when you arrive. Put your pets is secure in a quiet space so they don’t have an easy way to escape. If you want to take it a step further, give out your contact information and pet’s photo to your new neighbors so they can keep a lookout if your furry family member does escape.

Make Selling Less Stressful

The moving process can be difficult, but selling your old home doesn’t have to be. List with us, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, and find out what your home is worth and how we can market it. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!