When selling your house it can feel like you’re in a zoo with all the showings and open houses bringing potential buyers parading through your home. Keeping your home in tip top shape at all times can be daunting, but adding kids and pets to the equation can make it seem impossible. These tips will help you with handling your pets through this situation.
Not everyone grew up with a family pet. In fact, some people may not enjoy being around them or worse, they could be scared of your cherished animal. Cats have claws and dogs have been known to bite. Even reptiles and birds can cause problems for some potential buyers. While your pet may be cute and cuddly without any prior issues, a large volume of people invading their territory could result in negative behavior your pet wouldn’t normally display. Furthermore, you don’t want to put your pet through any undue stress. You don’t know the people coming into your home. While we all want to think the best of people, there are those that mistreat animals.
The best thing to do to ensure top price for your home is to relocate your pets while the home is on the market. You could simply put them in a separate room or even outside, but that most likely won’t be enough. Ask a friend or relative to care for your pets, or, if possible, board them at a kennel during a showing. If none of those are possible options, try to minimize the pet’s presence. You could place them in a carrier and attach a note informing buyers not to disturb them.
Pets have a smell. Pet owners are used to it, but Kitty’s litter box and Fido’s presents in the backyard can be offensive to potential buyers. Keep litter boxes out of sight and impeccably clean. Be sure to use stain removers specially made with scent absorbents for any accidents that have happened on carpet, rugs and furniture. Also, don’t forget to store all of your pet items such as food bowls and toys in a secure location. Some people don’t even want to purchase a home if they are aware that an animal was there, so it’s best to remove all signs that your pet lives there.
Selling a home with a pet is a challenge, but with a little extra work it can be safe and profitable. While this is a stressful time for you, keep in mind that your pet doesn’t understand what’s going on and it will be extremely stressful to him or her. For more information and suggestions, call Helen today at 847.967.0022 or email [email protected].