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According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are approximately 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the United States. If you’re a pet owner thinking about selling your house, the goal is to keep a balance between attending to your companions’ needs and optimizing your potential buyers’ experiences as they tour your home. Here are our tips for making the process smooth for you, your pets, and your buyers.
Since not everyone is a pet person, the easiest thing to do is to remove your pets from the home during showings. There are a number of circumstances where moving your pets might not be feasible or even possible; in those cases, it’s a good idea to kennel them away from the front door, perhaps in some out-of-the-way room with a door that can be closed to muffle any sounds.
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For home sellers with pets, the goal is to balance your companions’ needs with optimizing potential buyers’ experiences
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As we already mentioned, not everyone is as fond of your pets as you are—some people have allergies and some people have phobias that might distract them from the features of your home as they walk through. Shane was even attacked once!
It’s also easy for pet owners to become nose-blind to the scents and odors their pets leave. When in doubt, have a friend come over and help you determine whether your home has any present odors, and just to be safe, deep clean the home. Carpets tend to trap odor-producing chemicals, so it’s a good idea to steam clean them or use odor-neutralizing sprays.
We’ve sold a ton of houses with pets in them, so don’t be scared! The key is to set up your property to appeal to the most buyers you can and optimize their showing experience.
If you need any help selling a home or have any questions shoot us an email or text, or give us a call. We’ll be happy to help however we can.