You might be asking yourself this if you are getting ready to sell your home. If so, you ‘ve come to the right place!
Sure, you understand that, in order to appeal to home buyers, you must put in a little bit of elbow grease here and there. But this post extends past painting over a red wall. This post is about your furry family friend, who has no stake in your ‘silly’ home selling ideas.
So how do buyers feel about pets? Before we answer this question, we wish to preface that we here at Cozy Corners are serious pet lovers. It doesn’t feel good to answer this question because it concerns one of your family members. We understand the connection you have with your pet and recognize that it does not feel good to hear it (not does it feel good to have to say it), but unfortunately, not everyone loves pets as much as we do.
While we would never expect sympathy from our furry friends (or their owners), we recognize that in order to increase our chances to receive quality offers, we must consider the impact having pets can have on our listing.
The following is a list of reasons why a buyer may be inclined to cross the pet-occupied home off the list:
1) It’s possible that the buyer is allergic to pets. A pet-occupied home, regardless of how well kept it is, will quickly find itself on the ‘must avoid’ list for this type of buyer.
2) Listing photos showing that a pet lives at the home may prompt the buyer to have preconceived notions about the home being in poor condition. This may prevent them from viewing the home altogether.
3) A pet serves as a distraction from the home. We want buyers to concentrate on building an emotional connection to the home, a pet can disrupt that process.
4) Once a buyer recognizes that a pet lives in the home, they will begin to scrutinize every area of the home and attribute any possible damage to the pet.
5) Furthermore, buyers will wonder if there are any other damages caused by the pet which they cannot see.
What you should do to make sure having pets won’t impact your sale
1. Ensure that no food bowls, litter boxes, pet toys or the like are seen in your listing photos.
2. Re-home your pet temporarily (at least during the first two weeks while the property listing is ‘hot’ and gets most viewings). Perhaps you have a family member, close friend or neighbor who is willing to support you during this phase. Not to mention the stress it will eliminate for both you and your pet as home buyers come to view your property.
3. If unable to re-home your pet, we strongly recommend that the seller remain diligent in these key areas:
a. Clean up after your pet often (2-3 times a day).
b. Create a check list to ensure that all fabric surfaces are free of pet hair to include carpets, fabrics, sofas, rugs, beds, etc. It will help to have your pet well groomed during this period to minimize the pet hair.
c. Air out your house as much as possible in between viewings and first thing in the morning, regardless of the season. If you have a litter box, wash it out once a day. NOTE: Do not spray air fresheners, this will immediately prompt a buyer to wonder which smells are being covered up.
d. Remove your pet during the viewings.
e. Have a quick storage solution ready for impromptu viewings which will allow you to remove all pet toys, food bowls, leashes, litter box and other belongings. None of these items should be visible to the potential buyer during the viewing. A quick car ride might just do the trick.
f. Consider feeding pet out of a clear storage container and store out of sight any clear indication of pet bowls in the home. Remember, serious buyers will open drawers and cabinets to inspect the home and will be thrown off by a hidden pet bowl.
Finally, this blog would not be complete without a picture of Cozy Corners Employee of the Month: Stella!
For more information on how to ready your home for sale, please contact info@cozycorners.net or 602-350-3695