The hardest time to sell a home is when you have young kids. People are often calling up, wanting to see your home in an hour. Even when you list that you would like notice before a showing, some agents don't respect that desire. In order to help show your house more easily with young kids running around, make your life easier with these three simple steps.

1. Decrease the Clutter

Find an affordable self storage center, like West Thunderbird Mini Storage, near you and fill it with everything that you don't absolutely need. If you have too much furniture in the home, take some of it out. This gives the home a more open and clean feeling. Box up as many toys as you can and put them in storage. Walk through your home with a critical eye and eliminate everything that doesn't have to be in the home. Make sure you leave some things out, but the less toys you have sitting around, the less you have to pick up in a hurry when it's time to show the home.

2. Limit Play Areas

Murphy's law says that if something bad can happen, it will, but you can fight it by locking up unused rooms and using a large blanket or quilt. Place the blanket on the floor of the areas you are playing. If any spills or accidents happen, they end up on the quilt. If you have toys or cereal all over the place, most of them will land on the blanket. The best part of this strategy is that at a moment's notice, you can throw everything on the quilt, fold it all up, and stash it in the back of your car. This speeds up the time it takes to clean up small messes so you can focus on other areas of the house.

3. Keeping things Clean

While "clean" is often a laughable idea to many parents with young kids, there are simple ways to keep your house clean enough that you can get it ready to show with only a little notice. On the weekends, try to more thoroughly clean the house. Every morning after that, try to wipe things down quickly during your morning routine. Instead of leaving messes when they happen, like hand prints on the mirrors or walls, clean them up quickly. It is exhausting trying to keep a house clean, but if you do a little at a time, it's not so hard to get your house show-ready fast.

No one likes living in a museum, especially with young kids. Play outside, take field trips, and remember this situation is temporary. By following these suggestions, you can successfully show (and sell) your house- even with young kids.