Pet Owners and How to Successfully Sell Their Home 

If you are about to put a ‘For Sale’ sign in front of your next listing, it is imperative to present it perfectly in terms of appearance to potential buyers. If your seller has a cat or dog (or any pets for that matter), in the home, it can be a huge factor in why they are not going to get their home sold quickly and for the best price. 

The moment interested home buyers walk into your listing, the last thing they should be seeing is unsightly clumps of dog fur, half-chewed bones, or the lingering smell of cat urine coming from the litter box... 

Here are some great tips that can help you overcome these completely rectifiable issues. 

Have Someone (Other Than You) Walk Through The House

The majority of homeowners, since they reside in the home 24-7, don’t notice all the things that a potential buyer will notice, including scents of animals. Therefore, having someone walk through the house and look (and smell) for any potentially negative features a buyer might point out due to the homeowner’s pets is a great way to not only catch them before it's listed, but also getting an additional opinion to corroborate your beliefs. 

DEEP Cleaning

Before showing the home to potential buyers, make sure the homeowner's house is cleaned thoroughly - think Spring Cleaning on steroids!  You want the house to be free of any sign of animals having ever been there - including hairs on furniture, removal of any toys or pet beds, professional carpet cleaning, etc.,  (This is also a great opportunity to partner with a local carpet cleaning company and drive more referral business!)

Pets Don't Exist

This tip isn’t really a tip; it’s a necessity. We have all heard that some people are dog people and some are cat people but buyers are NO PET people. As much as they may love their own pets they don't want to buy a house where the seller has had theirs.

So no leashes, no toys and definitely NO POOP. They also need a system of quick removal of all feeding trays and bowls into the garage when there is a showing. Speaking of showings they will definitely want to take their furry family member with them so the house can be shown pet free. 

If their pet has a great relationship with a family member like my dog Bentley does than they may have the option to let them stay with family some. If not just follow my tips above and they'll be market ready when it comes to their pets.  

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