Selling with Pets

One of the most common conundrums that sellers face is how they should handle showings if they have pets.  Selling with pets doesn’t have to be a headache!  Read on for my tips on how to do it successfully.

First Things First

Pet Beds

Before worrying about how you’ll keep your cat from escaping during showings, take a look around your home.  I’m guilty of having too many cat perches and at least two cat beds in every room of my house.  Their food dishes are in my kitchen and their water fountain is smack dab in the upstairs hallway.  Not a great look for home showings.

Check each room with a critical eye and make sure there aren’t too many pet toys and beds laying around.  When possible, cat perches should be put away when your house is on the market.  If you fear that doing this will make your cat start plotting your death, then put the perch in a room that’s accessible to kitty but won’t be the first thing buyers see when they walk in your front door.

If your pet’s bed is covered in fur, give it a good vacuuming.  Our cat beds get so covered in fur that they look like there’s a third animal in the house.  Remove any pet beds that aren’t used on a daily basis.

Pet toys should be neatly stashed into a bin and not easily visible during showings.  Experience has taught me the unpleasantness of stepping on a rawhide dog bone while barefoot.

Food and water dishes should be clean.  The sight of slobbery food bowls and dried-up water dishes can be a turn-off for buyers.

Pet Odor

Very often, homeowners don’t realize that their home smells like pets.  If you’re unsure, ask an honest friend or neighbor to give you their opinion.  Like cigarette smoke, pet odor is a big deterrent for buyers.  Sometimes it’s easy to eradicate the smell, sometimes a carpet cleaning is necessary.  Do NOT think that buyers “won’t notice.”  Buyers have turned on their heel and left a showing after just stepping inside the front door simply because of bad odors.

Cat Litter

Litter boxes should be tucked away where they aren’t front-and-center in the home.  Unfinished basement areas are ideal, if you have them.  And keep the boxes clean!  Every day!  I’ve shown countless homes that have litter boxes with visible cat poop and urine.  Nobody wants to see poop during their showing.  And even if buyers can’t see the droppings, they may smell it.  So keep ’em clean people!

It’s Show Time!

If you have a cat or two, it’s typically not important for you to remove them for showings.  Anyone with cats knows that they usually sleep during the day, hide when new people come around, or are otherwise not interested in meeting strangers.  Unless your cat tends to dash out the front door when it’s opened, leaving her to roam her domain during showings should be just fine.  However, if you have more than 3 cats, you may want to remove some for showings.  In my experience, people either love cats or hate them.  If your prospective buyer dislikes them and they feel like there’s a cat around every corner, it can be a turnoff.  If your cat is an escape artist, it’s very important to make showing agents aware so they keep an eye out for kitty when they open or close doors to the outside.

The same does not hold true for dogs.  Dogs are usually two things when newcomers arrive: giddy with delight or wildly territorial.  Neither are good for showings.  If you have a dog, the best case scenario is to remove Fido.  Dogs might jump up, growl, bark, or slobber on new visitors and nobody wants that.  Your dog might bark, whine, or growl at guests, even if he’s in a kennel.  This is distracting for buyers and their agents.  Doggy day care facilities are a great solution when your house is on the market.

Small animals such as birds, hamsters, and gerbils don’t need special attention when showing the house.  However, if you have a snake or other creepy crawlies, you should consider covering their habitat during showings. Many people are positively terrified of hairy spiders, mice, and snakes so if you have them out in the open, there are some buyers who will run screaming from your house before they’ve fully viewed it.