I Want To Sell My Home, But I Have A Pet. What Should I Do?

Advice

Jul 3

When selling your home, special considerations should be made regarding your pets. Even people who love dogs, cats, or other household pets may be disenchanted with yours. The fact is, having animals in the house when selling your home can cause issues and affect your bottom line.

So, what should you do?

Here are 5 Tips For Pet-owning clients putting their house on the market:

Take animal(s) out of your home for showings.
Ideas include leaving them with family or friends, taking them to work with you, hiring a dog walker, or boarding them during showings.
Replace anything damaged by your pet.
Keeping up with maintenance while your home is on the market is already a good idea for getting top-dollar for your home. Remove evidence of any of your pet’s mischievous deeds while you’re at it.
Clean your home to remove animal scent; consider having it professionally cleaned.
Overwhelming pet smells are an instant turn-off to buyers. Wet dog and cat urine are the biggest culprit. Rather than masking animal smells with candles or air fresheners, deep clean to address the underlying issue at hand.
Hide all of the pet gear.
You’ve heard the saying, “out of sight, out of mind.” There’s no chance for buyers to get turned off if they don’t see a litter box or a puppy pad.
Replace carpet or refinish floors.
This goes along with number 2 and 3 above. If your floors are scratched or there are smells or stains in/on your carpet, consider having them refinished or replaced.