House Hunting: How to Dress for Success

There is something really exciting about looking for a new home. The anticipation of finding the perfect place is an amazing feeling. However house hunting can be fun, tiring, a pain or all of the above. Wearing the right clothes and shoes can make looking at homes easier for everyone. This is especially true if you are relocating and have to see a lot of inventory in a short amount of time. Fortunately in Manhattan Beach and the other beach cities our dress is beach casual.

Here are a few tips to make your house hunting experience a bit easier and more fun.

Clothes: Getting in and out of a car is tiring and fussing with clothing makes it worse. Wear something comfortable and layer your clothes. Our weather can change in an instant from warm and sunny to cool and breezy. Good choices are natural fiber pants and skirts that are comfortable with a shirt /tee and light weight jacket. This is good for both men and women..however some men may not be too happy with the skirt idea ... This is also true for children. They need to be able to move in their clothes.

Shoes: At least 70% of the homes you will visit want you to remove your shoes or wear shoe covers. Most of these homes will not have a place to sit so you will often find yourself having to balance on one foot doing the bootie dance while trying to tie or untie a shoe. I suggest wearing socks with some type of loafer or clog that is easy to slip on and off. Tennis shoes and boots are not good choices. Children should have shoes that have velcro fastenings.. makes life much easier. It might even be a good idea to check out an inexpensive pair at Target etc.. that you will never wear for anything else. If your parents will be coming along and they have a hard time bending over they will be miserable if they don't have on the right shoe.

Purses: This is tough... we carry our lives in our hand bags. You might consider something small to carry with you and a larger one that can go in the trunk to hold items you may want for later. I always lock my purse in the trunk and just have my phone and lock box key with me. I usually try to wear something with a pocket to hold these items.

At the end of the day you will feel better if you didn't have to worry about your clothes or shoes and could concentrate on finding the right home.

Tips on House Hunting with Children

There are three things all mothers know they would rather do without their children... take a long car trip, go to a clothing sale and search for houses. Outside of being forced to endure a long road trip where they are stuck in a seat for hours these have to be the two things kids hate the most.
Even in the best of worlds child care is not always available and the kids often have to be a part of the house hunting process. Now.. I really like kids and they seem to like me so we usually get along well. I never mind having children along but there are guidelines that will make it a good experience for everyone.

First you have to understand that no kid wants to do this. Actually most men don't want to do this either but that's another story... It's boring getting in and out of a car and going into a house where you can't touch anything or run around. This is especially true for children under the age of 6. For those older then 6 they would much rather be with their friends or watching TV or just about anything other then being hauled from house to house.

So here are a few tips to make things easier for everyone:

1. Call and let the agent know the children will be along. This will make a big difference on how many homes we see and how best to plan the day. This is very important if you are relocating and need to see a lot of property in a short time. I will usually limit the number of homes being viewed to three or at the most four. This is about as many as most kids are willing to go through before getting antsy. If we have to see more then that I will plan a time and place for them to get out of the car and run around so they can blow off some of that extra energy. An hour break for lunch and play makes everyone happier.

2. Bring snacks: I will usually have water and energy bars but I don't know if your child has allergies or special needs so please pack something for them to nibble on... and if we are my car please be sure it's not red or purple... It's really hard to get fruit punch out of the carpet.

3. Bring books, games or a favorite toy: They will be bored so they need something to do. Also small children don't understand why they can't play with the things they see in a house... so they need something of their own.

4. Bring First-Aid items: I usually have bandages and antiseptic. If you have boys this is a must. Boys don't stand ... they run and sometimes they trip. Girls usually just poke at each other but accidents happen. If your child has special medication or might need an epi-pen please bring them along.

5. When they are tired... it's time to stop: You may be good for another 3 or 4 homes but when the kids have had enough it's time to stop. They get tired and no one will be happy if they are not happy. There is always another day.

If you need to look at a lot of homes it's best to find child care but when you can't don't hesitate to bring the children.... with a little planning we will all have a great time!