Treat-worthy Tips for Selling Your Home When You Have Pets

The nation recently celebrated National Puppy Day. If you’re not familiar with the holiday, just think back to that one day last week when your social media feeds were flooded with photos of canine candids.

Of course, we are partial to our furry, four-legged family members; but, we also know that not everyone is an animal lover. So, when you’re selling a home and you’ve got dogs, cats, bunnies or any other pets, what can you do to make sure that you are still appealing to every prospective buyer?  

Here are five tips for selling your home when you’ve got pets:

1. Realize that the stress of selling affects everyone – even pets!

The process of selling a home typically comes with much excitement and quite a bit of stress, too. Whenever families first begin to talk about selling a home, couples may find themselves on edge and children may have mixed feelings about moving. As the sales process continues with open houses, showings, inspections and other necessary actions, the entire family may feel some additional stress.

Pet owners cannot forget to include their furry, feathered and finned family members when thinking about ways to deal with that added stress. Before the home-sale process begins to disrupt your home life, take your pets to the vet. Make sure they are healthy enough to handle the stress and see what you might be able to do to make their transition go smoothly.

2. Cover their tracks, indoors and outside.

When you decide to sell your home, you’ll scour the place from floor to ceiling to make sure it is in top condition. When you’ve got pets, you must pay special attention to any damage or wear-and-tear that they may have caused in your home. If you’ve got dogs or cats, check for any tears in your carpeting and scratches on hardwood floors. And, while you may be immune to your pets’ odors, buyers are not. It is a good idea to have your floors professionally cleaned to rid your home of pet hair, stains or odors leftover from any pet potty training

Pet owners also need to be just as diligent outside. Cleaning up pet waste before open houses and showings should go without saying. But, you also may want to do some aerating and seeding to cover any yellowed or bare spots that your four-legged family members may have created on your lawn.

3. Include pet property in your decluttering process.

From scratching posts to doggy dishes to bunny food, even prospective buyers that love animals probably do not want to see any remnants of your pet around your home. When you’re going through your own decluttering process, don’t forget to sort through your pets’ personal items. This may include everything from chew toys to beds to treats.

In fact, as you are taking down a few of your personal photos before showing your home, you may also want to consider removing photos that include your pets. Remember, you want prospective buyers to envision themselves living in your home, not see what you or your pets are leaving behind.

4. Send your pets on a vacation during the sale.

So, first we cautioned that the sales process may be stressful for your pets. Then, we suggested moving out all of the things that may help to make pets feel comfortable during the sale. Doesn’t really add up, right? Well, one great way to keep your pets’ stress levels down and your home in top shape during the selling process is to send your pets on a little vacation while your house is on the market.

By vacation, we mean asking a trusted friend or family member to keep your pet while your home is listed. Ideally, you will be able to choose someone that your pets are familiar with. They also will be able to have all of their favorite toys and treats around for added comfort. If this is not an option for the entire sales process, you may be able to ask a family member, friend or neighbor to pet sit for you during open houses and showings.  

5. Don’t let pets surprise prospective buyers.

In theory, asking a friend or family member to help out with your pets is a great idea. But, we know that not every seller has that option. If you must keep your pets at home while prospective buyers are touring through, you’ve got to be as courteous as possible about it.

Crate cats and dogs, so that buyers can freely roam through your home and concentrate on its best features. You also should make sure that each real estate agent who enters your home is well aware of your pets’ locations. Though you may trust your pet completely, you never can be sure of how they may react when someone new is in your home – particularly when you are not there.

If you’re preparing to sell your home and you’ve got questions or concerns about what to do with your beloved pets during the process, we would be happy to help.