Seller Tips: Showing Your Home with Pets

Published On: November 23, 2021|Categories: Blog, Featured, Featured Blog Posts, Home Sellers, Home Staging, Pets, Sellers, Selling Tips, Selling with Pets|Tags: Cats, Dogs, Home Sellers, Pets, sellers, Selling, Selling with Dogs, Selling with Pets, Tips|

According to the pet owners survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) 67% of US household or approximately 85 million families own a pet. If you are one of those families and are thinking of selling your home then these tips are for you.

What to do with your Pet during a Showing

Your REALTOR® will recommend that you leave your home for showings – and that goes for your whiskered family members, too. But this isn’t always feasible or even easy. If you need some ideas of what to do with your pet when your potential buyers want to see your home, here are a few ideas to help:

Leave your pet with a neighbor or family member
Find a Pet Day Care in your area
Hire a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker
Bring your Pet with you to work or on a car-ride while your home is being shown

Remember: leaving your pet in the home is a big no-no. You should always take your furry friend with you when you leave and have a contingency plan for those last minute unplanned showing.

Why can’t I leave my pet at home or in the Garage?

Leaving your pet unattended, even if they are in a crate or an enclosed area is not recommended. Not only could this end in disaster for you if they are accidentally let out but even the most calm & timid pets can become defensive when a stranger enters their territory. Here are a few additional reasons to consider:

Some people are afraid of animals, especially dogs (even small ones).
Some people have allergies to pets and pet dander
If the potential buyer is not a pet owner, then they may not like the idea that a pet is living in the home they are considering buying
People will likely not go into a room that has a pet locked in it
Someone may inadvertently let your pet outside where they could get lost or worse

Get rid of the “evidence”

Evidence of your pet can be almost as bad as the pet itself to a picky home buyers. Make sure that you have a plan on what to do with all of your pets toys and things when you are preparing for a showing. This means their food, bowls, leashes, cat towers, kennels or crates, toys, beds and anything else. Here are a few ideas to hide them in plain sight:

Buy a large decorative basket with a lid and put everything in the basket
Put everything in a storage ottoman or bench
Have some boxes set aside that you can pack things into that you don’t want to be seen and take them with you when you leave

What about the odor?

Every pet has an “odor”. Even if you don’t smell it you can bet that someone who isn’t familiar with your house WILL the minute they step in the door. A smelly house will turn away some interested buyers and cause others to lower their offer. That is why it is important to deodorize your house and stay on top of keeping it clean while your house is actively on the market.

Bathe and groom your pet weekly
Have your carpets professionally cleaned before you put your home on the market
Throw pet beds and toys in the washing machine weekly to keep odors to a minimum
Use room fresheners like Febreeze often and liberally on your carpets and furniture
If your pet sleeps in your bed, consider washing your blankets often too
If you have a dog be sure to do daily sweeps of the yard with the poopy scooper, fix any holes and clean up any toys
Repair any damage your pet may have done to your home BEFORE you put it on the market
Remove litter boxes or potty pads
Replace the Air filter in your HVAC
Invite a Friend or Neighbor over to do a “sniff” test
Hire a professional house cleaner to do a deep clean

Words of Advice from a Pet-Frienfly Real Estate Expert

We asked “The Pet Friendly Realtor” Elyse Berman, realtor in Boca Raton, FL & real estate pet expert to share her best tips for home sellers. She said:

“Pets should really be out of the house for showings. If they’re pet-friendly people, they are distracted from looking at the house. If they don’t like animals, it’s not a good thing either. If can’t be removed, leave them in a kennel. But this is not always the best idea. You don’t want to stress your animals either. You run a fine line here.”

Here are a few more tips she shared with us:

Remove any odors
Clean, clean, clean
Clean carpets, Clean a/c filters, vacuum.
No pet hair or fur
Professionally cleaned is a good option
Wash all pet items if possible
Put toys, beds, anything pet related, bowls, etc away – even litter boxes
Repair any damage to baseboards, anything they may have chewed, etc.

And remember: If you have a more “aggressive” dog or pet, remember there’s liability if somebody gets bit.

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