When Selling a Home, Consider These Factors If You Are a Pet Owner

As a pet owner, I certainly understand the delight that pets can bring to the family home. However, no matter how loved a dog or cat may be, when a pet owner is trying to sell a house, the pet's presence can produce unanticipated difficulties.

When buyers and their agents wish to view a listing, the presence of a pet can introduce problems that make it seem less appealing than other competing properties. Here are a few examples of typical situations which may arise when pets are involved.

1. If sellers would like to be notified prior to a showing so that they can make alternative arrangements for their pets, potential buyers might lower the home's priority on their list of houses to view. It's simply more convenient to visit a home when there aren't any scheduling issues.

2. Similarly, if sellers have special instructions for dealing with pets, such as "put the dog in the backyard" or "don't let the cat go outside", buyers might decide that it's more convenient to view other properties first. In today's extremely competitive market, anything that makes a showing less appealing is a negative factor.

3. A noisy dog can, of course, be a potential detriment. Regardless of how friendly the dog actually is, buyers who are not at ease with dogs could have concerns regarding their personal safety. Even quiet dogs who are overly friendly can be stressful to potential buyers and may reduce the length of time they spend in the house. The longer that a buyer stays in a home, the more likely they are to be considering making an offer.

4. The presence of an animal on the property can negatively affect a showing. I once had a showing of a property where the sellers left the house but didn't take their dog with them. Instead, the dog was left within the fenced-in backyard. The house was ideal for my buyer since his hobby was woodworking and the home included a separate woodshop building. Unfortunately, since his wife was afraid of dogs - and the woodshop was located in the backyard - they never even took a look at it.

5. Pets might create odor issues irrespective of how sanitary the home might be. Pet owners get used to these odors and might not even notice them. But, buyers who are unaccustomed to living with pets can be turned off for concern that they might never completely eliminate the unpleasant odor. Ask your friends or your agent to give you an honest evaluation of any smells that they notice upon entering your home - then take steps to eliminate them.

Naturally, not all animals are a possible hindrance to the sale of a property. An aquarium or caged birds may improve the decor and ambiance and could even be considered to be exotic. And, of course, if you're selling a farm or horse property, having horses would definitely be a positive factor.

While animal lovers might not realize the presence of pets to be a drawback, it's prudent to do everything possible to make sure that buyers who aren't "animal people" are not inadvertently excluded from the pool of potential buyers.

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