24 Apr Miranda’s Tips and Tricks for Selling Your Home Episode 2 : The Family Pet(s) and Selling Your Home
If you know me then you know I am pretty much the biggest animal lover ever!!! Especially, dogs! I have been called the “Dog Whisperer” by many of my Calgary real estate clients. Especially, if I meet with them for the first time and if generally their family dog isn’t a big fan of random humans. 99% of the time by the end of the appointment no matter the size of the dog has somehow ended up on my lap! I am a HUGE promoter of having a family pet. However, when it comes to selling your family home having a furbaby can sometimes create an additional challenge. Not all people are as fond as fury four legged housemates and because of this as a home seller it is always important to have your home as ‘pet free’ as possible while your home is for sale.
That means removing all unnecessary pet toys, beds and even, if possible, food and water dishes during showing times. I also recommend for dogs to be removed from the home for when showings are occuring. This could mean taking your dog for a walk or maybe a ‘puppy spa day’. There are many great doggy daycares that could also cater to your dogs on busy showing days.
If you can not remove your dog then kenneling is always acceptable. I recommend providing a note with the dog’s name, so that, the prospective buyers can tell Fido he is a ‘Good Boy’. Dogs usually calm down if people know their name.
Lastly, on the topic of dogs. No one, including myself, likes to clean up other people’s dog doodoo. It can be a real concern for a prospective buyer to view a yard that is full of it. For some it may even discourage them from writing an offer. So, even in the winter, always keep the backyard as dog doodoo free as possible. It could make a big difference to a prospective buyer!
For real estate sellers who have feline friends one Must Do is ALWAYS change the litter box and clean the litter bits off the floor on days of showings. No one wants to smell old kitty litter or step in litter pebbles. Trust me it happens more than you think, and it is never a pleasant experience for the prospective home buyer or their real estate agent.
While I recommend (whenever possible) having the family fido out of the home for a showing it isn’t always that easy to take the kitty for walk. Generally, cats mind their own business or hind while strangers are in their home. Most Cats don’t appear to be as traumatized as dogs when real estates agents and prospective buyers are in a home. Dogs bark/cats usually just hide. However, if you start noticing a change in your cat’s mood then I would suggest adjusting showing times to accommodate when the cat can be out of the house for short periods of time or kenneled.
It is also very important for a note to be left near the entrance that there is a cat in the home, so, that the real estate agent can take the proper precautions to ensure that kitty doesn’t escape out when the door is open.
Now for all the reptile lovers, fish lovers, bird lovers, rabbit, ferret lovers and all other animal lovers who have these creatures as family pets. Similar rules apply and always clean up doodoo and make sure the animals are well looked after and comfortable during showing times. I always recommend leaving notes for people to not tap on glass, feed the animals, etc. When selling a home my goal is always to make the transaction and process as easy and as stress free as possible for all the occupants/family members in the home. My advice is based on over 15 years of being a REALTOR® and showing homes with animals in them. As well, as my personal experience of selling 2 homes while being a fur baby parent to cats and dogs.
Pets are important and so valuable to ones health and well being. I could not live without a fur baby companion; however, I know others may not feel the same way as me. Because of this, I always provide advice to my sellers and take a proactive step to make everyone aware of what can be done to assist in a smooth sale of ones home when pets live there too!