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When should my child view the house we are buying?

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Hello everyone, new to posting but I've been lurking for a couple of weeks.
I'm not quite sure how best to time this really. My 4 year old knows we are moving and seems excited about the new house. We have shown her pictures. For any viewings of our home or us looking at prospective homes she went to my parents so she has been shielded to a certain extent.

We made an offer on the house we are buying after the first viewing. It just felt right and we knew that we needed to do so quickly. Right now we have had a mortgage offer, searches are underway and survey is booked.
Last I heard from our buyers they were mid-searches and waiting a mortgage offer (2 weeks ago). I have already messaged my EA for a status update.

I want to involve my daughter but I don't want to be a nuisance to our vendor, and I don't know if it's wise to take her while we can still have our buyers pull out. What would you do? Just go for a second viewing and show her anyway?, Wait until exchange is imminent? Leave it altogether?

I welcome your opinions :-)
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Comments

  • lika_86
    lika_86 Posts: 1,786 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    You should probably do a pre-exchange visit to check everything is still fine, I'd take her then.
  • What will you do if your child says she absolutely hates it?
    I will point out all the ways the new house benefits her! If she doubles down I'll tell her tough 😂, but I want to make sure I have time to ease her into the idea if that's the route she will take (though it seems unlikely. Though she does want to live in a treehouse).

    We live on a corner semi with a pokey back garden, everything is at the side/front. We are near a sort of busy road (not a main road but a road into the main housing area. Also popular with learners), new house is on a far quieter road where she can go out on her bike more easily.
    New house is bigger both inside and out - large garden to play in, plenty of space for friends to stay etc we aren't moving out of area so she will still be nearer to her friends.
  • I’d probably wait until nearer exchange and you are confident everything is going through ok. When we moved our 3 children didn’t view, but they were considerable older than your daughter (teens) and knew the house by sight, however, on the day of move didn’t stop the youngest from sitting on the wrong doorstep waiting for removal van and us with keys, he couldn’t remember the correct door number! 
  • Aranyani
    Aranyani Posts: 817 Forumite
    500 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 11 October 2020 at 4:10PM
    Catsacor said:
    I can truthfully say that, as kids, we were never asked opinions on our parents life choices - do you consult yours regularly, this idea is not one i've ever heard of.
    It doesn't sound like the 4 year old is getting a say in the decision, more that the OP wants her to see the house to make the move easier and because she is excited! 

    Personally, I wouldn't take her to view, if its your house the first time you go she can sleep in her new bedroom, put her toys out etc. and its not like she knows about the viewing process and will be expecting to go! 
  • hazyjo
    hazyjo Posts: 15,475 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Can't see anything to suggest they want their child's opinion.

    It can be more settling for a child to know where they're moving to.

    Personally I think it depends on the child and how they cope with change and how quickly they settle into strange surroundings. Some are confident, others clingy, some are very precious about their surroundings and belongings. Only you can answer that, OP.

    We only moved once as kids and I was older (9), and parents bought a new build, but we walked round loads, saw every step of it being built, chose our bedrooms and decor and it was really exciting.

    Wonder how I'd have coped if we'd never seen it and literally left our home one morning, prob stayed with grandparents, then gone straight into a strange/new house.
    2024 wins: *must start comping again!*
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