You love your pets – they’re family, after all. But when it comes to selling your home, those furry friends can become a bit of a hindrance. After all, buyers want to envision themselves in your space, not sharing it with Mr. Whiskers or Fido.
Hey there! I’m Anita L Williamson, Associate Broker with James River Realty Group and selling your home with pets can be a bit of a challenge, but with some smart strategies, you can make it happen.
Let’s talk about 5 tips when selling your home with your furry friends.
First, when selling a home with pets, at the very least, you should remove the pets from your home when there is a showing if at all possible.
A buyer’s time in your home should be as pleasant an experience as possible. A constantly barking dog, or a cat wrapped around a buyer’s ankles who isn’t a cat lover doesn’t make for a good showing environment.
Having a pet in the house or yard can create complications for an agent while trying to show the house, putting your pet at risk of accidentally getting out.
There are also liability issues to deal with as well. While your dog or cat may be ultra-friendly, it is certainly possible they can have a bad day, just like you and me.
One way around this is sometimes sellers will schedule a weekend away with their pet or board them for a weekend during the first weekend of showings.
Second, remove any signs of your pets items for house showings. While I am a pet lover, many home buyers are not. Some folks consider it a huge turn-off when looking at potential homes they may want to own. They may even be allergic and won’t even consider a home if a pet is living there.
Make sure to hide the pet’s food and water bowls, crates or kennels, pet beds, pet food, toys, cat scratching posts of climbers, leashes, etc.
Don’t forget to keep the evidence of your animals out of the marketing material as well. Buyers are very astute and will notice pet evidence in the photos.
Third, as much as we love our pets, they are still animals, and pet damage is never attractive when selling your home. Dogs and cats will inevitably destroy something, including carpets, furniture, hardwood flooring, walls, doors, turf in your yard, and your fence.
All of this damage should be repaired before showing the home. This may require some investment, especially if the animal has damaged expensive items like your hardwood flooring or walls in your house.
Regardless of the repair cost, the value you will get for your house will be well worth paying.
Fourth, remove pet odors and stains. Pets have accidents, and while it is possible to get used to the pet smell over time, new visitors to your home will be sure to notice the smells.
This is not something you want to happen. In fact, above all else, this may be the most vital tip for selling a home when you have pets.
Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our emotions, memory, and perception. An initial urine odor upon entering a house will stick in the buyer’s mind, and they will likely deduct the cost of carpet replacement immediately from an offer as a result.
A strong odor is one of the top reasons a buyer will pass on a home. You can add it to a long list of many home-selling mistakes.
Avoid this by cleaning your carpet and flooring professionally, focusing on removing pet odors. If the staining or odors are too bad, you may need to replace the carpet in the problem areas.
Fifth, pick up any messes in the backyard, and have any grass replaced and other damage repaired. You may pick up after your pet regularly, or you may have a cat that causes minimal impact on your yard.
However, many dog owners give their pets free reign in the backyard. This is a great life for dogs and cats, but it can be hard on the look of your lawn.
One of the best tips when selling a house with pets is to ensure you don’t neglect the yard, as this is just as crucial to some buyers as the inside.
Selling a house with pets takes work, but it’s worth it in the long run! If you want to sit down and create a detailed plan for selling your home with your pets just give me a call!
I’m Anita L Williamson helping you establish roots in Central Virginia.
