How To Prepare Your Pets for the Sale of Your Home

Talmadge and Kensington, we all love our pets! In many cases, they are like our own children. I love seeing the dog walking create introduction opportunities for residents. In a place where we often know the family by the name of their dog, it’s important we consider animal etiquette when buying and selling a home, too!

When preparing a home for sale, your animals will notice the change in routine, location of items, and the overall stress that is felt around the home. It’s never easy to de-clutter, pack boxes, paint, all the while keeping the home spotless for showings! That said, its important to maintain a sense of calm for your animal children so they don’t stress out themselves. I’ve seen cats “freak out” and rebel in more ways than one, and dogs get so anxious over all the activity and strangers in their home that they become ill. When selling your home, I have a few tips to help alleviate this potentiality:

1. Focus on maintaining a balanced “energy” in your home. The more you exhibit stress, the more the animals sense it.

2. Put your cats in one room or a crate during showings if they are showing sensitivities to the changes in their routine.

3. If your animals tend to be escape artists and are usually not allowed outside, definitely put them in a crate if possible so the agent and the buyers looking at your property don’t have to be responsible for the possibility of them getting out. There is nothing worse than spending an hour out of the scheduled showings tracking down a cat that got out accidentally.

4. Plan to take your dogs out during showings so that your animals don’t have to be exposed to strangers, and the buyers looking at your house aren’t distracted by your pup following and/or barking constantly. This may require a 24 hour advance notice for showings so you can plan your day accordingly, but a successful showing and not stressing out your pet are key here.

5. Some people are highly allergic to cats in particular…one more reason to contain them to one area (preferably not in a bedroom, which the buyers will likely want to see in detail) so they buyer can view the home easily without burning eyes and a runny nose!

6. If you notice an animal smell when you come in to the home, do everything you can prior to listing the property to eliminate it. A strong odor will deter buyers.

7. As a potential buyer, when visiting open houses, make sure you leave your pet outside. Many sellers will not want you to bring your animal in their home for a number of reasons including their pet’s sensitivity to other animal odors, allergies, etc.

I hope you find this information useful. By following these simple suggestions, you are ensuring a smoother process for your animal family and your buyers…ultimately resulting in a successful sale!