#Buy/SellSaturday- April 1, 2017
When it comes time to sell your home, it’s possible you will encounter at least a handful of challenges throughout the home selling process. Selling a home with pets presents several additional challenges for a home owner. As a pet owner myself, it’s incredible how important our pets are to us.
While our furry friends are extremely important to most homeowners, they also make selling a home more difficult and also require that additional preparation is taken before selling a home. A pet owner who is selling their home must understand it’s going to take some additional work and effort to sell their home!
So, if you’re a pet owner, before you list your home for sale, make sure you take the prepare your home and also understand what selling a home with pets may involve. Below are some of the best tips on how to sell a home with pets.
How To Prepare Your Home For Sale When Owning Pets
Give Your Home A Deep Clean
One of the top ways to scare away a potential home buyer is with foul odors. The reality is that pets can create some less than desirable odors and smells. If you have pets, before you list your home for sale, it’s critical that you give your home a deep cleaning.
A deep cleaning is not as simple as vacuuming the floors and cleaning the counter tops. When selling a home with pets, a deep cleaning must cover many of those tough to access areas. This includes behind all furniture, underneath all throw rugs, and inside each closet. Pet hair and dust do a great job at finding their way into those hard to access areas. Even consider having your duct work in your home cleaned out as pet hair and dust can make it’s way into the ducts of your home fairly easily. By making sure these “hard to reach” areas are cleaned, it can make a huge difference in removing any foul odors from your pets.
Whether cleaning is something you like to do or not, it’s not a bad idea to hire a professional cleaning service. In addition to the fact that these professional cleaning companies clean homes frequently and should be great at what they do, it’s also not a bad idea to have an unbiased opinion of whether your home has pet odors which can kill home sales or not.
Clean Up Your Pets Belongings
Whether you are selling a home with pets or not, one of the most inexpensive ways to prepare your home for sale is by decluttering. When you have pets and you’re preparing your home for sale, it’s important to clean up after your pets belongings.
A pets belongings can include their toys, beds, blankets, or even their litter pans. The last thing you want potential buyers having to do is avoiding your pets pile of toys in your living room. Obviously it’s difficult to remove all of your pets belongings, however, making sure their belongings are in an organized pile in a tucked away area, such as a closet or a basement, can make a big difference.
What are the most common pet belongings you should be cleaning up?
- Litter pans
- Pet blankets
- Pet beds
- Cat towers/trees
- Pet toy bin/basket
- Collars
- Pet food
- Pet dishes
Clean Up The Exterior
Whether you have pets or not, making sure that the exterior of your home is prepared for the sale is important. If you have pets it should be something you take extra special care of.
There are a couple specific things that you should make sure are completed before selling your home. First and foremost, make sure you pick up after your pet if they use your backyard as their bathroom. The last thing you want is for a potential buyer to step in an area where you have forgotten to pick up after your pet.
Other considerations to make when selling your home with pets is the condition of your lawn and landscaping. Many pets, such as a dog, make it a habit to dig holes in the yard or landscaping. Make sure that you have filled any holes that your pet has made in the past. These things may seem like small tasks but they can make a huge impact on a potential buyers outlook of your home.
Have Your Home Checked For Fleas
We all like to think that our pets are very clean and do not carry any fleas. This may certainly be the case, however, it may not be. There are several ways to know if you have fleas in your home and if you suspect this is the case, you should have a professional inspect further. Fleas and other pests can scare away potential buyers and is something you should address before anyone walks through your home.
Repair Any Interior Damage Your Pets Have Caused
While this may not apply to every pet owner, some pets make it a habit to destroy our homes. Before you list your home for sale, if your furry friend has damaged your home, make sure you correct it.
A homes flooring is one of the most frequently damaged areas of a home. If your pet has damaged your carpeting or floors, make sure you have this addressed before potential buyers begin walking through your home.
Other possible pet damaged areas in a home may include;
- Scratched hardwood floors
- Trim work around doors
- Ripped screens
- Kitchen cabinet doors
- Lower trim work
- Furniture
Tips For Selling Your Home With Your Pets
Don’t Restrict Showings Because Of Your Pets – Be Prepared!
Before you sell your home, whether it’s with pets or not, you must know that selling a home requires some effort and hard work. One of the biggest mistakes a seller can make when selling their home is restricting the times it can be shown.
The primary reason why restricting the times your home can be shown can be detrimental is due to the fact that a buyer will not stop their home search because they cannot get into your home. If you’re unable to accommodate a showing because of your pets, it’s possible that what is convenient for you may not be convenient for the potential purchaser.
If you’re selling a home with pets, make sure you have a plan of action in place in the event a showing day and time is requested that may not be convenient for you. I cannot reiterate how detrimental it is to limit the times your home can be shown.
Relocate Your Pets
When selling a home, a possible solution to having your pets negatively impact your home sale is to relocate them. It’s not easy for a pet owner to allow their pets to live other places than their home, however, it may make a big difference.
One possible place to relocate your pets while you’re selling your home is to a friend or family members home. If someone is nice enough to take in your pet, it can make accommodating showings that much easier if you don’t have to worry about your pets. Other possible places to relocate your pets while selling your home is a kennel or a day care service for animals.
Remove Your Pets During Showings
If you are unwilling to relocate your pets while selling your home, the next best solution is to make sure you remove your pets during showings. Just because you love your dog, Fido, doesn’t mean that every potential buyer who walks through your home is going to love your dog.
Whether it means you take your animal for a walk or pack them and their belongings up in your car for a long car ride, at the very least, make sure you remove your pets during showings.
Another way to remove your pets during showings that is becoming more popular is hiring a walking service. If you happen to have a dog, you can hire a company or person that will come to your home and take your dog for a walk for a period of time.
Secure Pets In Pet Crates
If you are unable or unwilling to relocate your pets and you cannot remove your pets during showings, securing your pets in crates during showings should be the last resort. It’s not a smart decision to allow your pets to wander free during home showings as it can make some potential buyers very uncomfortable.
In addition to making some buyers uncomfortable, by not placing your pets in crates you run the risk of your pet escaping or even worse, injuring a potential buyer or Realtor who is walking through your home. When you’re selling your home with pets, the last thing you want to have to worry about is your pet escaping or injuring someone who is walking through your home.
Final Thoughts
Selling a home with pets can certainly be challenging. It can bring additional work and effort into the equation. If you’re selling your home and you have pets, that you take all the proper steps before you list your home for sale and also take all the proper steps while your home is being shown.
By correctly following the above tips on how to sell a home with pets, you will greatly increase the chance that you have a successful home selling experience. Remember, by avoiding or skipping these tips you and your furry friends will likely be inconvenienced for a longer period of time which is not only stressful on you, but also your friends!
Other Top Resources For Selling A Home With Pets
- Tips To Sell A Home With Pets via Maximum Real Estate Exposure
- Home Selling Tips For Pet Owners via Property Cluster
- How To Sell Your Home If You Have Pets via Total Mortgage
About the authors: The above article “How To Sell A Home With Pets” was provided by the Keith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise.
We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.
Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.
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