Pet Owners: Tips on Selling Your Home

If you have pets, you’ll need to consider some extra steps when getting your home ready to show. Keep in mind that not everyone is a pet lover, so all of the pet fur and odor that your furry friend leaves behind might be a turn-off to a buyer. Or, you might run into buyers who won’t even walk in the door if your Doberman is home.

I work hard to  reminds my sellers to consider the impression your pet might make on a potential buyer:

“As a pet lover and parent, myself, and someone passionate about animals rights, I know first hand what our four-legged children mean to us. I also know that not everyone feels the same way about our furry friends and when you’re selling your home, as a pet parent, you want to be mindful of others’ feelings.

For example, I had a client with awful allergies to animals. We entered a home with a nice chocolate lab in his crate in the kitchen. My client was a little fearful of the big bark; I wasn’t so scared so I offered to walk through and see where the dog was before touring the home. Once I noticed the sweet dog in the crate, I walked back to the foyer to share with my client that the dog was in a cage and she can comfortably walk through the home.

Well, in just the short time of my walk to find the pup’s location, and back to the foyer, my client’s allergies became so agitated so quickly that her entire face had swollen, along with her eyes that became pink, puffy and watery. All of this reaction happened just by her standing in the foyer. As a result, we didn’t get to see this home. We had to immediately leave. Granted, this was extreme but we as home sellers want to be mindful of other people’s challenges with pets, whether it’s from allergies, fear or a plain dislike of them..

Consider these tips if you’re selling your home and you are a pet parent:

1. Please do your best to have the home free of pet hair. Hair is what will often cause the odor build up or make a person’s allergies become active.

2. Obviously, this tip is easier to do with dogs than cats, but I strongly suggest, when possible, to take the dog for a walk during a home tour, or take him on a trip to the local Petsmart or dog park. If you do leave the home with your pet, NEVER leave him alone in a car. The car gets much hotter inside than outside and can quickly kill your pet. Or people’s dogs do get stolen from cars so again, if you take your pet with you away from the home for a buyer’s tour, KEEP THE PET WITH YOU. You don’t have to be gone long. Most tours take 15 minutes and a quick walk will be plenty of time to allow the potential owners see your home.”

These are just a few of the tips I give my sellers to help them sell their home faster and to get the best value. Looking forward to doing business with you.