Open House

I think you would agree with me that selling your home with pets presents a special challenge.  Personally, I am a pet lover, but not everyone shares our love and affection for our four-legged friends.  Here are some tips to help you overcome this special obstacle.

When you are selling your home you need to make sure that everything is perfect when people come to visit.  Open houses are especially important because you will have many people coming into your house but you need to always be ready to show your home.  If you have pets there are even more things to keep in mind besides cleanliness and organization.

 

Here are some tips to keep in mind when selling your home with pets:

• Make your agent aware of the presence of pets.  If you have pets in your home and they will be staying while you are showing your house, it is important that your agent is aware of them.  Your agent should be the first one that knows about them – not the potential buyer!

• Have pets stay somewhere else while you are selling.  The best way to deal with pets while you are selling your home is to have them stay at a friend’s house.  This will guarantee that your pet will not escape or startle potential buyers.

• If you can’t have them stay somewhere else, have pets properly secured.  Larger pets should be secured outside whenever possible and smaller pets should have a pet kennel inside the house.  Shutting pets in a room is not an option because visitors will want to see every room in the house.  Do not assume that because it is a small animal, like a cat, that it is safe to let them roam free around the house when there are visitors that want to buy your house.  They could accidentally get out or the visitor may have allergies, so it is safest for your pet and your visitors to secure them in a kennel.

  

• Hire professionals to remove stains or replace the carpets.  Many animal stains (like urine) cannot be removed so it is best to have carpets replaced if you want to sell your home.  Just another challenge when selling your home with pets.

• Remember that concrete and hardwood absorbs smells so if there is urine stains, removing the carpet may not be enough.  There are special cleaners for concrete that will remove stains and smells and a professional cleaner can make sure that it is done properly.

• Make sure there are no other pet odours.  If you have small animals like rabbits, hamsters, or lizards, make sure cages and tanks are cleaned thoroughly.  Cat litter boxes should be cleaned daily, or several times a day if you have more than one cat.

• Have a friend come over to inspect the place with fresh eyes (and a fresh nose!) before you begin to show your house.  Choose someone that does not have pets and does not come over to your house often and they will be able to pick up on smells and sights that you are used to and might overlook.

• Open windows whenever possible.  There’s nothing better than the smell of fresh air to get rid of the stale smell of a closed up house with pets.  You can make the house smell enticing with other scents like fresh cooking (try baking a batch of cookies before an open house!).  Be careful about using artificial scents like room sprays though – remember that some people have allergies.

 

Follow these tips and you’ll improve your chances of NOT becoming an expired listing.

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