Tips to Sell a House with Pets
We adore our pets, but not everyone feels the same. Some people are afraid of cats and dogs. Some folks are allergic. You just never know.
If you’re looking to sell your home, you don’t want to lose a potential sale if a buyer walks in to a barking dog, mess on the floor or a litter box and goes yuck!
Here are some tips for selling a home with pets.
Remove Your Pets from Your Home During Showings
This is your best option to avoid any issues, liability being one of them. Your dog is an angel, but any dog can bite given the right situation, as I was told after being bitten by a Chinese Crested. We don’t want that to happen.
On the flip side, friendly dogs are often distracting to buyers looking at your home – which is why they’re there! If the potential buyers happen to like dogs, they’re busy petting your dog instead of looking at your home.
And we don’t want anyone’s cat or dog running out the door either.
Buyers need to feel comfortable in the space. They need time to look and imagine themselves living in the home. That’s hard to do with distractions.
Take Your Dog or Cat for a Walk or a Drive During Showings
Book a day at the groomer or board them. I know this is asking a lot, but taking them out for a short period of time will help your showing. If you absolutely cannot board them, make sure they’re crated when people arrive or, at the very least, sit in the backyard or car with them.
Your dog is probably stressed about the move, as well. There are strange people coming into their home. It’s hard to concentrate looking at a house with constant barking. Buyers will rush the showing, and that’s the last thing you want!
Repair Any Damage Done by Your Pets
We live with our pets and we love them, so we overlook a lot of things. Did the dog chew the baseboard when s/he was a puppy? Did they dig under the fence? Whatever the damage is, have it repaired prior to showing your home.
Clean. Clean. Clean. Then Clean Some More
Deodorize. We are with our pets on a daily basis, so we become immune to most pet odors. Have a neutral person come into your home and give you an honest assessment. Do they smell your pets? Are there any offensive odors? If they can smell it, buyers will smell it, too.
Have your home professionally deep cleaned. Please, do not attempt to cover up the smell. It doesn’t work. Have a deep cleaning done on your home. This will go a long way towards getting it sold. The cleaner the house is, the better.
Have Your Air Conditioner Cleaned and Serviced
Change the filter. It will help to rid the house of pet fur, hair and more pet odors.
Have Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned
Rake your rugs and carpets, too. You’ll be amazed at the amount of fur, hair and dust you pick up using a rake versus a vacuum cleaner. If your carpets are badly stained and can’t be cleaned, consider replacing them.
Declutter
Put the pet toys and things away. This includes crates, blankets, pee pads, dog beds, toys, leashes, food and bowls, whatever. The cleaner and less cluttered the house shows, the better. Try to remove as much pet stuff as possible, even just temporarily for a showing. It will make a huge difference in your showing.
Start packing now. You’re planning to move, so get going with the packing. Either store it neatly in your garage, if you have one, or rent a storage facility short-term.
Remember, the goal is to sell your home. And clean homes sell faster and for more money than cluttered and dirty ones!
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Are you selling a house with pets? As pet lovers, we’ve all done it. If you’d like to have a conversation or you need help, let’s talk about it!!!
When I was selling my previous house I did exactly what you wrote. I also had specific time for open home viewing. I removed litter trays outside and out of sight. I cleaned the floor where it was kept. Also chose to put my cat in the car in her transport.cage and drive a short distance away and just waited quietly unit the open hope time had passed.
Toni, You did great! I would have told you to do the same thing. I’m sure your Realtor was happy with that. I hope it all worked out well.
Way back in 1987 we viewed a house where the owners had a dog. We ended up covered in flea bites and had to put all our clothes in the washing machine, needless to say we didn’t make an offer.
It also had an added bonus of overflowing ashtrays and tarry nicotine on the walls in every room!
Linda, That house sounds like a disaster, not just a normal dog owner. Most dogs are on flea control today,. Overflowing ashtrays – yuck! When I walk into a house that smells of smoke, I usually walk out. I can’t take it – and smoke is very hard to get rid of. It sounds like they were not very clean people, dogs or not.
This is great advice. I tried to explain this kind of thing to a close friend whose truly lovely house was on the market—but her dogs were just impossible. And it smelled, and she denied it. Said “It doesn’t smell at all” and I told her, yes it DOES, a lot. She accused me of not liking them. Her realtor also told her, and finally refused to show it with the dogs there. But my friend sadly did not listen and she ultimately had to reduce the price SIGNIFICANTLY. Yuck! I’m glad most pet owners are more thoughtful, but there certainly are many who aren’t. Maybe this advice will help.
Liz, Many dog owners, myself included, don’t think their house smells. We’re used to it, so we don’t notice it. But, people who don’t have pets often will. You understand. It’s best to err on the side of caution, clean the house, get rid of the smells, take the dogs or cats out during showings, and leave the rest to the Realtor.
Yes, I couldn’t agree more! We have a cat who likes to scratch and I need to patch and paint all the little scratches he made!!! I put up cardboard for the cat to scratch but very unattractive to the next tenant and I hope to get my damage deposit back!
You have the right idea. I would make the necessary repairs before the landlord comes to inspect so, hopefully, you will get your deposit back.