What to Know About Buying and Moving to a New Home With Kids

Posted by Justin Havre on Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 at 8:54am.

Buying a Home With Kids A National Homebuying Survey was released recently and stated that those moving to and living in Alberta put a high priority on family. Choosing a new home is a very important decision. The right neighbourhood can lead to the right schools and the right activities. Here are a few of the highlights from the survey.

Albertans ranked as the most "family-oriented" when choosing a new home and community
25% of all Canadians want a home that's move-in ready
19% of Albertans believe a family-friendly community is the top priority
Over 50% of Canadians are planning to move within the next five years

These are just a few of the stats, but they clearly show how important family is to many of the people living in Alberta. With such a high priority put on family, it's necessary to understand the key things to consider before choosing our new permanent home.

For informational purposes only. Always consult with a licensed real estate professional before proceeding with any real estate transaction.

Things to Consider When Buying a Home With Kids

Whether you're moving to Calgary for business, family or any other reason, considering these factors will make a difference.

Neighbourhood/Community

Choosing a community within Calgary isn't always easy. The city is full of great neighbourhoods and everybody is a bit different. You can find plenty family-friendly choices throughout the area. Make sure to consider the recreation options offered and the type of homes offered within each neighbourhood before choosing the right one for your new home.

Commute

If you plan to work in a certain part of the city, consider the commute before purchasing your new home. Working a full eight hour day takes you away from your family for enough of the day. If you have a long commute, it only adds to the time away.

Schools

Calgary is full of great schools, both public and private. Make sure you consider the schools serving each neighbourhood on your list before making your final decision for a new home.

Access

Whether you need access for a commute to work or just to get to some of your favorite attractions, you will want to consider how easy it is to get to what you need.

How to Choose the Best Neighborhood For Your Kids

In order to drill down the definition for the best neighborhood for kids it would be best to take on the viewpoint of the child and see the neighborhood from his eyes first. What makes a great neighborhood for kids will be different in a child’s viewpoint than an adult’s.

A Child's Viewpoint on Home Buying

Kids want to have a lot of other children that are living in the neighborhood. This gives them a wide selection of friends and when there are other families around there are usually group activities happening in the community.

Quite often you'll find that one of the stay at home mothers or fathers is organizing group outings where they pile some of the neighborhood kids into the van and head to the park for an afternoon. There are other families that will have a type of community backyard where children can assemble for a day of play complete with lemonade and watermelon being served in the summer and steaming mugs of hot chocolate passed out in the winter.

Any kid loves the park, especially one that has swings, slides and other types of playground accessories. It's nice to have a park that you can walk to easily when the kids are full of energy and simply need to get out of the house for a run. Remember though that there are different types of parks and some are designed more with adults in mind than for children.

There should also be a sidewalk available with lots of room for riding a small bike or tricycle. It's nice to have a convenience store in the area for older children that can walk there on their own to pick up a popsicle on a hot day or some milk for hot cocoa on the blustery cold days of winter.

To top things off children love to see an ice cream truck driving around in the summer!

A Parent’s Viewpoint on Home Buying

As is often the case, safety is one of the most important considerations that usually comes up when a family is looking for new housing in a neighborhood. That and a good school nearby.

One of the questions parents must ask is what the neighborhood is like and what the crime rate is in the area. You certainly want to be surrounded by families that have core values in place and will go the extra step to help keep the community protected from crime.

Many parents will also want to find out more about the school in the neighborhood. The distance to the school is a factor since it may make the difference between having to drive the child to school, bus him in or have him walk a short distance. The other thing that tends to come up in a discussion about a neighborhood is the school's reputation. Parents want to have a good education set up for their children and this can be one of the most important deciding factors when a family is looking for a new home.

Parents also tend to look for a community centre nearby where the child can take part in activities and sign up for various sporting activities. It's nice to have a centre close by that is within easy walking or driving distance since it is usually the parent that is responsible for getting the child to his lessons and back unless the centre is situated very close to the home.

The best neighborhood for kids is one that satisfies both the parent's and the kid's viewpoint. Look for a neighborhood with a lot of families around, a community centre nearby and one that will be safe and secure for your family. Don't forget to ask about the ice cream truck either!

A Child’s Viewpoint on Switching Homes

When you're planning a move in Calgary it can be very easy to get distracted by all of the logistics that are set out in front of you and forget about your child's feelings regarding the move. A lot of things are happening within his little mind and unless you take the opportunity to discuss this move with him a number of times you may miss the chance to find out what he's really thinking. It's important, and actually critical to spend some time just talking with your child about moving to your new home to get his thoughts on it and to help him work through the transition.

If you have ever moved as a child you know how it feels to leave your roots behind as you head into the unknown. Since a child's thoughts are full of fantasy and imagination at a young age you'll really have no idea of what he's actually thinking without some good sound conversations between the two of you.

He could be afraid of moving because he feels that there may be monsters in his new bedroom closet. His best friend may have made up some stories about wonderful things that he will be missing by moving away. He may be thinking that he will have to leave some of his precious pets behind. There could be thousands of thoughts going through his head and you can help him get through this move just by lending an understanding ear.

You know that all of the logistics are going to get handled one way or the other. There really isn't any choice in that matter. Your child too deserves to have some time and you need to make it go right to supply it.

The transition over to the new home can be laid smooth by taking your child's viewpoint into account and making him feel positive abut the upcoming changes. Let him know that there will be no monsters in the closet but he will have a special drawer in the kitchen to store his special treasures. Help him transform any fears or worries into positive thoughts and he will turn into a willing participant in the move and can provide you with some much-needed help with all of the logistics and packing.