Look, we LOVE our fur babies. Truly, we do. We cuddle them, give them the best food, and some of us even buy them sweaters.
But lets get real here: They are stinky. They mess up your house, and leave fur everywhere. Kitty litter appears in the most random places, and they miss you so much they tear up your carpet and baseboards when you’re gone. Now, you may not notice. Your pet-loving friends and family might not notice.
But those potential buyers who’s kid is allergic? Yeah, THEY notice!
So how do you go about selling a house when you can’t move out and clean first? Keep reading below for our tips!
#1. Have someone neutral walk through your home.
Someone who isn’t around all the time will notice the things you don’t – if there is a smell, nose prints on windows, etc. (Your realtor should be great at this!)
#2. Clean ALL THE THINGS.
2.png)
Yes, it’s annoying, but you’d want to do that anyway. Pay special attention to highly frequented pet spots. If your pet sleeps on the bed with you, wash your comforter. Smells cling to fabric more than hard surfaces! febreeze is your friend.
#3. Put food and treats in an enclosed container.
Even if your pets don’t really have a smell, their food does! If you can close it up, or even better, stick it in the garage, you are golden.
#4. Take the pet bed with you or stick it in the garage for showings.
Nothing smells as much as a pet bed! If you can remove it, sometimes that will fix most of the problem.
#5. Take your pet out of the house for showings if at all possible.
It’s more comfortable for the buyers, and better for the pets. You don’t want someone to accidentally let out your cat, or stress your dog out with strangers in thee house. Pro-tip: There are several businesses in the Toledo area that allow boarding by the hour!
#6. Groom your pets.
Brushing them, bathing them, and keeping their nails trimmed will make it much easier to maintain your house.
#7. This one might be the most important: Communicate with your realtor about your pets!
Don’t be afraid to ask for 24 hour notice for showings. Make sure they know how many pets you have. Communication is key, and the best way to avoid issues!
For example, here’s a true story from another realtor: An agent showed a gorgeous high-end home in her town a few years ago. “At the end of the showing, the owner’s dog was begging to come in the house. The Realtor let the dog in the house, locked up and left. It turned out it was a stray dog, and the owners of the home were out of town for a week,” The realtor says. “The dog was locked up in the house for a week and absolutely destroyed the house – over $100,000 in damage.”
Those are our 7 tips for selling your house with pets, and a fun little nightmare-fuel story to wrap it up.
