What to do with all the toys?

Staging your house to sell, even with kids

by Liz Johnson

Anyone who has been in my house, even once, knows that it overflows with toys.  As soon as you walk in the door, you are greeted by my daughter’s rocking horse.  And if you accidentally kick it, it will neigh at you.  But I’m not selling my house.  So, how is a mom supposed to keep all those toys under control while letting her kids keep a semblance of their normal household?  Here are a few places to start.

• Use the toy box as a coffee table.  Or the coffee table as a toy box.  If you have a toy box, get the toys down to what will fit under a closed lid.  Keep a small piece of fabric handy to throw over it just before leaving for a showing.  It will sort of look like a coffee table and buyers will get the idea. 
• Utilize the space at the end of the sofa.  Scootch the sofa out of the corner just enough to squeeze some toys in.  Maybe it’s the big Ikea tunnel, the art easel folded up, or just a huge Tonka truck.  But it’s tucked away.
• Get behind the sofa.  Turn the sofa at an angle where your little one can get behind to select toys.  Don’t pull it so far out that you minimize the space of the room, but in some settings this will work well.
• Shelves.  If built-in shelving or in an entertainment center is available, collapsible totes can store and hide toys.  I love the ones from Pottery Barn.  When not in use, fold them up and store them until another use is found for them.  Well-priced storage bins can be found at Target and Cost Plus, but I haven’t seen any that fold up in these stores.  A few well-placed stuffed animals can also rest on shelves.
• There are no monsters under the bed!  I keep my daughter’s bed linens in plastic snap-top bins under her bed.  It keeps them handy for a quick change and frees up space in the linen closet (making it look roomier to buyers).  Or put the toys grouped in bins under the bed.  Train sets and blocks are great in these bins!
• Sort and group similar toys together.  Instruments go in one bin, blocks in another.  When they’ve moved on to another activity, scoop them up and tuck them back into their spot.  Balls hide in one desk drawer in my house.  No one realizes I’ve relinquished a drawer in my roll-top desk to my two-year old until she gets one out to play. 

 

I will confess.  I am the worst at making my daughter pick up toys when she’s done.  Most times I let them pile up until I see a second layer forming.  Or until neither one of us can walk without stepping on a Mega Block.  But my house is not on the market.

 

So what to do with the toys that won’t hide away?  I like to rotate them.  I’ve found that my daughter is more interested in a toy that she hasn’t been tripping over for the last month.  A medium-sized plastic tote bin will hold the overflow.  A couple of these neatly stacked in (a well-organized) garage will help the marketability of your house much more than toys everywhere.

 

You are selling your house and it’s temporary.  Present your house at its best and it will be more attractive to potential buyers.  Just remember, the idea is to reduce clutter and maximize space.  If you’re moving because you need a bigger house, you don’t want buyers to feel like they need a bigger house too.  If you need suggestions specific to your situation, drop me an email or give me a call, I’d be glad to help!

 

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