The Pros and Cons of House Hunting with Kids? I'm sure if you been home hunting with your family, you've already got firm ideas about this topic. If you're a REALTOR®, you also have thoughts about the Open House experience or home shopping tour with kids in tow.

So what are your thoughts?

As a real estate home buyer client, if you need more room for your growing family, or you’re simply relocating to a new town during the summer months, you may be wondering if bringing your kids along on the house hunting journey is a good idea.

In my experience, there are pros and cons to having kids with you as you try and find the next family home. Here’s what you’ll want to consider before you bring everyone along to open houses and showings.

1. Liability matters. If you have a newborn strapped to your chest, it might not be much of an issue to walk through a prospective home, but toddlers are a different story. Your home may be kid safe, but not all homes on the market have been prepared to show with a free-range child in mind. Kids don’t necessarily understand this new home isn’t a playground, and there may be areas which are not explicitly safe for your little ones.

2. Is it an open house or a private showing? Open houses are often group affairs, and you’ll need to check your comfort level bringing your child along in these social settings. Kids can also get bored at these grown-up moments. Will you be able to focus on the home if your attention is split between the home and your kid? Kids are certainly allowed at open houses, but in general it is easier to maximize an open house kid free.

3. Is it important to have your child with you? Sometimes, when you have an older child you want to help adjust to the idea of moving, it can be useful to lay the ground rules with your kid and make them feel as though they are important in the process.