How to Make House Hunting with Children Easier

Looking for a house, to rent or buy, is a daunting task alone. With children in tow, it can seem impossible. Ideally, you might want to look without the younger helpers. Sometimes that just isn't an option. So, if you are looking for a new home, and need to bring the kids along, there are some things you can do to make the day easier.

1- First thing you can do to make the day better, would be to make the day shorter. Don't plan an over-full day. With kids you aren't going to be able to drive around town for 14 hours without food, looking at 30 houses. Make the plan manageable; break it into two days if you need to. Plan your day on MapQuest. MapQuest has a great feature that lets you get driving directions from one location to another. There is also an advanced feature that lets you plan your day, with driving instructions for up to 10 locations. Once you have entered the first two addresses, there is a click-button towards the top of the page that says 'Add Another Stop to Your Route!' Click it and enter the remaining addresses.

2- While I don't generally encourage excessive TV matching for kids, there are times when the portable DVD player can be worth its weight in gold. They cost anywhere from $75 and up, and are money well spent if you have children and are often in the car for extended periods of time. Bring or rent a couple of movies, and the time will just fly by for your younger passengers. Many game consoles will plug into the portable DVD players also, but be sure to lock the car doors and store it out of sight when looking at houses.

3- Bring a change of clothes for the kids. You might even want a spare shirt for yourself. Spills and accidents always happen when you need everyone to look presentable. Bring wipes, for just in case, and extra diapers (if you have babies on board).

4- Before you go house-hunting, go over some ground rules with the kids. No touching, no running around, no taking things, stay off the furniture, etc... Be sure to gently remind them as the day progresses.

5- Bring a digital camera. This doesn't need to be a fancy, new camera, with high megapixels and advanced features. If you have little memory, make sure to turn your resolution to its lowest setting to allow you more pictures. If you are going to be looking at house on different dates, be sure the date feature is set on the camera. When you first arrive at a house, make sure the first picture has the house number, so you can tell what pictures go to which house. After you look at a dozen or so houses, the rooms all kind of blend together.

6- Make picture taking fun. Most kids love having their picture taken. Include them in the pictures of the houses, in the yard, in the kitchen, at the end of the hall, by the fireplace. Let them make funny faces, thumbs up or down, or whatever they have fun doing.

7- Bring a notebook, preferably one for you and one for each child. Write down the address of each house you will go see on separate pages. Bring it inside with you, and take notes. Write down the things you liked and didn't like, special features, the asking price. Have the kids draw or color pictures of the house after they look at it. (Be careful with crayons, they melt in hot cars) Don't forget to grab a flier if they are available; you might want to make that a special chore for your young helper.

8- Plan a break (or breaks). If you packed lunch, stop by the park, eat and play. If you are eating out, try to stop at a fast-food restraint with a playground. Eat and let the kids run off some of the pent up energy. If someone gets messy, remember you packed extra clothes and wipes.

9- Make house hunting a treasure hunt game for the kids. See who can find the house numbers first. Let the kids give each house a creative name, i.e. the mouse house (for the house with the huge mouse collection), the tire swing house, the smelly house, the fire engine house (for the very red house) , the castle (for the house with a tall spiral staircase) etc...

These nine little suggestions can make a world of difference in the hectic house hunting day. Have patience with your young helper, moving is stressful for everyone, especially the kids. Good luck finding the perfect new home.