5 Tips for selling your home when you have pets
Selling your home is stressful on the entire family including your pets. Unfortunately, not all buyers are pet lovers and could be turned off by your pets. Doing the following few simple things can help you quickly sell your Spring TX home when you have pets:
1. Neutralize the odors – Wash the comforter, pillows, and blanks that your pet hangs out on. Febreeze the dog beds. Clean out the cages and the litter boxes frequently.
2. Clean the backyard – Buyers are going to walk around and view all of your house including the backyard. Buyers are not use to watching their steps to avoid the land mines. Clean the backyard frequently to avoid a buyer tracking a land mine into your house.
3. Hide the evidence – Highlight the house not the pets. Gather up and store away all of your pets items including toys, leashes, photos, beds, blankets, climbing trees, and bowls. When buyers see your pets items, they immediately start to look for pet damage. Their thoughts changed from “I can see myself living in this house” to “I wonder if pet urine seeped through the carpet?”.
4. Repair damage – Chewed on stairs, chewed on window ledges, scratched up doors, scratched up windows, scratched up door frames, and soiled carpet are all items that need to be repaired or cleaned before putting your house on the market. Buyers feel they shouldn’t have to pay for the damage caused by your pets. Get the damage repaired so buyers can focus their attention on all the positive features of your home.
5. Remove for showings – This is a hard action item for most sellers especially if they are working because it’s tough to run home and grab your pets every time you get a showing request. Another option is to sweet talk your parents or a family member or a close friend into keeping your pets during the time frame your house is on the market. Another option is to put your pets in their kennels for showings. If they continuously cry or bark while in their kennels, then this is not an option. Buyers can’t focus on your house when they are distracted by a dog that is letting them know that he does NOT want to be in his kennel.
More tips on selling your Spring TX home are available on our YouTube channel under #RealEstateTalk
