What Should We Do With the House After the Kids Move Out?

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If you're like us, you're not necessarily ready to move. You're not necessarily staying forever, either. But the house has changed. You've changed. You're starting to think about what's next, and it's worth thinking about how you want your home to work for you now.

Maybe that starts with the kids' rooms. Maybe it starts with the basement you haven't set foot in since they left. Maybe it's finally tackling the repairs you've been putting off, giving the walls a fresh coat of paint, or simply getting rid of some of the things you've been hanging onto for years and can't remember why.

You don't have to make a big decision about your home today. But if you're entering a new chapter, like us, there are plenty of small things you can do now to make your home feel a little more manageable, a little more like you, ready for whatever comes next. Which seems to change daily.

So, where do you start? Not with a major renovation or a five-year plan. I wouldn't recommend either one at this point. Instead let's start with the things that have been bugging you for years. The rooms you don't use, the projects you've been putting off, and the things that no longer make sense for the way you live now.

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Start With the Kids' Rooms

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We started with the kids' rooms. When they packed up and took everything but the bed, we were able to see how dirty the walls were. I consider myself a fairly clean person, and I was horrified. I have no idea what was spilled behind the bed, and for the love of God, why is there a shoe print on the ceiling?

Let me repeat that: a shoe print on the ceiling.

OH MY GOD.

But honestly, this was the easiest place for us to start. We have a lot of out-of-town guests, and once I saw that shoe print, I couldn't unsee it. I was no longer comfortable with what I was offering our guests.

Since the room was basically empty already, it was pretty easy to clean it out. No one wanted what was left behind, which made that part pretty easy, too. Next, we hired a painter to patch the holes and paint the room.

The finishing touches were the fun part for me. New bedding, some fresh art, and finding a way to keep the kids in the room. I framed some of the artwork I had saved, the pieces that felt most like them, and kept a few pictures, too.

The room feels fresh and clean now, but it still feels like theirs. And honestly, I think that's the balance we're looking for. We don't have to erase the years our kids lived here. But we don't have to keep their rooms frozen in time, either.

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Think About the House Differently

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Now zoom out. You've just changed one room, and I'm sure it was a success. What do you want to do next?

Is it the basement you never use? The dining room that hasn't been touched since you moved in? What do you want to make space for?

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Don't be afraid of color, but make it intentional.

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If your home has purple bedrooms, a red dining room and a yellow hallway that haven't been touched since 2004, this might be the time to reconsider. You don't have to live with all white walls. Color is not the devil. But color has to be on trend/current and intentional for it to work.

The silver lining for us, color is having a moment and I think we should all lean in. We're seeing deeper reds, blues and greens everywhere, and I'm loving it. If you've been avoiding color because you're thinking about selling someday, I wouldn't let that stop you. When it's done well, a home with color can still be incredibly appealing to buyers.

You don't have to paint every room a bold color. Start with a powder room, an office, a bedroom or even a wall. And if you're nervous, pair a deeper color with a warm neutral and keep the rest of the room simple.

And don't forget about wallpaper. I'm loving that too. So far, we've wallpapered our primary bathroom and a wall in our kitchen.

The point is, don't be afraid to enjoy your house while you live in it. You don't have to make every decision based on what the next buyer might want.

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Fix the Things You've Learned to Live With

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As I said at the beginning this is not about a $50,000 renovation. I still don't recommend that. Instead I want you to focus on all the little things that were easy to ignore when the house was full of kids, who didn't notice and would just break it again anyway.

The broken door handle.
The faucet that leaks.
The cabinet that won't stay shut.
That ugly light fixture you've hated since day one.

You have the time and the bandwidth now, create a list and get busy. This is about getting our houses back into the vision we always had for it before kids and work and life took over.

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Get Rid of the Stuff

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Decluttering the basement, garage, closets, kitchen, the things you've accumulated because there was always someone else in the house. Trust me when I tell you that you really don't need 20 plastic plates, a hodgepodge of coffee cups or the abandoned sports gear.

Bring back the matching set of adult dishes and make room in the garage for your new electric bike. We all know you want one.

And the best part? You'll feel lighter without losing a pound.

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Look at the Big Stuff

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This is the hard part and where things will get expensive. You don't have to do this now but you should keep taps on your Roof, HVAC, windows, exterior, landscaping, etc. I'm not saying you need to replace it all and definately not all at once but you should know what you are dealing with.

And while I know we're not moving, old roofs have been known to derail a deal. Insurance companies are paying a lot more attention to the age and condition of roofs these days. It's worth knowing what you have, how old it is and what you might be looking at down the road.

This isn't about spending a ton of money today. It's about not being surprised later.

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Make It Work for the Life You Have Now

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I think this is the most important part. This is not about removing everything that reminds you of your kids. It won't bring tears to your eyes forever. It's about understanding how they use and you use the house now and how that will change.

Are they coming home for the summer? For holidays? For a few weeks at a time? What do they actually need when they're home, and what do they no longer need?

Maybe the bedroom stays a bedroom. Maybe it becomes a guest room that still has some of their things in it. Maybe the basement gets a new purpose because they're only home for a few weeks a year. Eventually, they may not come home at all, and that's okay, too.

The point isn't to erase your kids from your home. It's to figure out how you want to live in it now.

Your home doesn't have to be frozen in time. It can change as you do.

Once we do the work maybe just maybe we can finally get to the bigger question: what's next?

And maybe after doing all the work, you decide to stay because your house feels good again. Or maybe you decide to leave because now you can. Or maybe you still have no clue, and that's okay, too.

Stay or don't stay. The work wasn't wasted. You've made your home work better for the life you're living now.

And I know that feels good.

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As always, from all of us here at Matt Engen Group, thanks for reading!

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