3 Tips For First-Time Home Buyers With Small Children

Posted on: 22 July 2017

Buying your first home can be both exciting and a little overwhelming. When you are a first time home buyer with a young family, you have even more on the line and more details to consider. You want a single family home that is safe and comfortable for your family, including your children, but you also don't want to go over your budget and end up in a stressful financial situation. Here are three tips for first time home buyers with small children:

Look for Child-Friendly Features

One way to narrow down your search is to hone in on homes that offer child and family-friendly features. These may include:

  • Being on a safe street. Even if you never intent to let your kids out of your sight, you and your partner will feel more safe and comfortable on a quiet street without a ton of traffic, perhaps on a cul-de-sac, in a neighborhood that is known for being safe and family-friendly. 
  • A fenced-in yard with lush, green grass. If the backyard is lacking and there is no fence, verify that you are allowed to add a fence and make sure you have room in your budget for exterior improvements.
  • Enough space for everyone. While a smaller, single family home may be charming and affordable, it's also important to make sure there are enough bedrooms and there is enough storage space to accommodate your entire family, plus an extra room or two if you plan to have more children in the near future. It's sometimes worth commuting further to work if it means you can get more home for your money in the suburbs.

Research Schools

Even if your children are still babies or toddlers, the school years will be here before you know it. It's a good idea to thoroughly research schools in the area, and begin making plans for the types of schools you want to send your children to. For example, if your spouse has their heart set on sending your kids to a bilingual Montessori school, but the neighborhoods you're looking at don't have one nearby, you will either need to be open to a different type of school or re-focus your home search elsewhere.

Look for Safety Features

With small children around, safety is paramount. A home with an open floorplan is ideal because it makes it much easier to keep an eye on your kids, even while you're cooking, working on your computer, or cleaning the house. Steep staircases and counter tops with sharp edges are generally no-nos, as are older homes with electrical systems that haven't been updated. 

By keeping your spouse and children's needs in mind when house hunting and following these tips, you will end up in the perfect home for your growing young family.

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