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Our beloved pets truly make our houses feel more like homes. After a long day and we can’t wait to open the door to those deep purrs and ankle rubs, those wagging tails and puppy eyes. Our pets are our personal welcome parties. And our homes are as much theirs as ours in many ways. And while we love our pets, there are some things I suggest pet parents keep in mind when selling their homes.
When listing your home, you always want potential buyers to see it at it’s best. Buyers want to imagine themselves settling into your home and neighborhood, as well as enjoying your yard. How can you keep buyers interested in your spectacular space, rather than a few rope toys or the litter box?
1. Before You List Your Home, Enter Your Home with New Eyes and a New Nose
We sometimes become blind to the small accessories our pets require. We also overlook some of the less-than-attractive side effects that can crop up from our pets. Ask a friend or relative if they’ll give you an honest assessment of what they notice about your home’s appearance and smell.
Before any buyers walk through your doors, take a moment and do the same, now with a new perspective. Make a list of your more unsightly pet-related possessions and any minor marks or damage from your pets.
Touch up paint, slip cover any clawed or chewed furniture, and create a showing plan for your pet bowls, litter box, and toys.
2. Consider Hiring A Carpet Cleaner
If you have carpet, you may want to call up a carpet cleaner to freshen up your floor. This can help your home smell fresher, while eliminating any stains or spots that may distract a buyer and detract from what your home has to offer.
3. Thoroughly Clean Your Home from Top to Bottom
You know that age-old trick with baking cookies? That’s because the sense of smell has one of the strongest emotional impacts on buyers. And while the smell of warm, ooey-gooey cookies can create positive feelings for a buyer, the smells of litter or dogs can have the opposite effect.
Clean any fabrics in your home. Wash your pet’s bed, and clean the litter box before any buyers walk through those doors.
4. Clean up the Yard
Yards help sell houses. Make sure your yard shines by cleaning it up of any old toys or dog waste. Make sure to fill any holes, and put grass seed in any bald or bare patches in the lawn.
5. Change Your Air Filter
Replacing an old air filter before buyers begin viewing your home will freshen and pull pet dander from the air. This can help buyers with allergies, while keeping your home feeling and smelling clean.
It’s also a great idea to open windows to air out your place a few hours before potential buyers arrive, weather permitting of course.
6. Prepare to Bring Your Pet to the Park or Elsewhere While Showing Your Home
While your pet may be the best part of your home in your mind, many buyers can be distracted by pets. Pets tend to add one more stressor to a situation where a person is deciding whether or not they’ll be living in your home.
During an open house or showing, you can always day board your pet, or let a friend watch them for a bit. If a showing is on the weekend, and you have the ability, it’s a great opportunity to take your dog to the park.
7. Remember the Don’ts of Showing a Home with a Pet
– Don’t leave your dog home, if potential buyers will be stopping in. This isn’t just dangerous, since buyers are strangers, but this can really stress out your pet.
– Don’t leave out pet supplies. Create a list, then clean up and hide away as much of your pet accessories as possible.
– Don’t leave your dog in the backyard, as most buyers will want to walk the yard.
– Don’t drench your home in air freshener right before a showing. This can cause buyers’ allergies to flare up, and create an off-putting or masking suspicion in the buyer’s mind.
Pets are awesome! And while I may have a soft spot for your best friend, I can also guide you through the selling process in a way that will work best to sell your home, all while keeping your pet’s best interest in mind.
Give me a call. Let’s list your house and find a new home where you, your family, and your pets can make memories for years to come.
Image credit: shironosov | iStock | Getty Images Plus