When should a pregnant buyer stop house hunting? That question came up at an office meeting a few weeks ago. It led to an overall discussion about housing hunting while parenting.

First and foremost, our clients make all the decisions, we just give advice. Here it is.

Pregnancy and house hunting:

Pregnancy is not a disability; however. pregnant women have needs that can make house hunting more difficult.

Gotta eat! Bring snacks. If you are house hunting in a suburban area, it might be hard to find something to grab, if you forget.

Gotta pee! It has always been awkward to use a toilet in a house you are viewing. Since Covid, it is almost universally not allowed. Plan for shorter house hunting trips if you need to.

Pregnant people get tired. Don’t overschedule. Everything looks bad when you are tired.

The big day. Even if you can continue house hunting up to the minute you deliver, we advise you to not make an offer or schedule your closing very close to your due date. There will be so much happening, physically and emotionally. House hunting can wait. Babies have their own schedule, but even so, it is not a good idea to have any important house decisions to make the week you welcome a new person into your family.

There are only a few things that a house hunter must do in person.

  1. At least one buyer needs to be at the home inspection. If you go into labor, you can reschedule a home inspection without too much trouble. If you are partnered, your partner can go to the inspection for you, the next day.
  2. At least one buyer needs to be at the closing. If you are partnered, you can prepare paperwork so that your partner can sign for both of you. Closings are harder to reschedule.

General methods of house hunting while parenting:

Most parents use a divide-and-conquer method of house hunting with children. One parent, or the agent, hangs out with the child while the other adults see the house. Sometimes a child will sleep in the car, sometimes the child is on the play equipment in the yard, and sometimes the child is asleep in the carrier inside the house.

Awake, active children inside a house showing need an adult engaging with them the whole time. There are likely to be owners’ things that a child shouldn’t be touching; they will get frustrated by that.

The first few months of life:

Depending on your health, house hunting with a small infant can be fairly easy. They are small and portable, and they sleep a lot. I had a client who went house hunting the weekend after giving birth. (Granted, this was her third child, and she didn’t have a C-section.) If you have the energy, an infant is manageable.

Carrying a child at an open house will work, too, until they get too heavy or if they are being too squirmy.

Walking children:

Once your child is old enough to walk, one adult will need to be watching an active child at all times. This is for the safety of your child. The older they get, the more clever they will get at touching things they shouldn’t and hiding from you.

School aged children:

By the time a child is fully verbal, they will have opinions to express. If you are bringing your children to house showings, expect that they will have opinions about whether they like a house. Young children are inclined to want to buy every house they see.

Here are some problems points, and some solutions:

Children respond to the things in the house. If you see a house set up for children, your children will react to the toys on display, and want them. This can create conflict during the showing. Children of certain ages will think the toys come with the house. It can also create sadness when you move in and the toys are gone.

Similarly, if the house is being used by only adults, a child may not like the house, since they cannot imagine what it would be like with their things in it. Children have a harder time picturing a house as it will be than adults do. Adults sometimes can’t make those imaginative leaps, either!

Parents, know your child’s abilities.

Concrete things about the house: Point out features they might like, like a bird feeder or a built-in shelf to store toys and books. Pick a bedroom and show them where the parent bedroom will be. Remind them that this house is right near something they are familiar with. If the house is near a playground, go there after the showing.

Ideas that take some imagination: If your child is old enough to imagine living in the house, ask them about what color they want on the walls, where they will put their bed, what they can do in the kitchen with you, where will toys go in the living room.

Teenagers:

They will hate everything or love everything. Don’t fuss. They are moving out in the next five years, anyway.

We’ll be part of your team when you house hunt with children. Just tell us how you want us to relate to your children, and we’ll include them the way you want us to.