Living with Fido and Fluffy? What To Do When Selling Your Home With Pets.
Selling your home with pets? What should you do? Our pets are part of the family and of course we all love our pets. But, buyers will not! When you decide to put your home on the market you will need to do some serious house cleaning and possibly some repair work before you can expect to receive a competitive price for your home.
Buyers Want to Picture Themselves in Your House
You want buyers to be able to picture themselves in your home. Consequently, the less is more rule applies here. Your space needs to be free from too many personal items. Yes, this includes your beloved pets and all they bring with them. The best thing you can do is relocate Fluffy and Fido for a short period of time. For example, have a friend or relative watch them, send them to day care or even consider taking them to work for the day! At the very least make sure to remove them from the home during a showing. This might be a good time for a walk or a trip to the park.
Don’t advertise that a pet lives in your house. Make sure there is no sign of dog and cat hair on furniture and floors. Which means you might need to vacuum religiously. Maybe even twice a day! Put away food and water bowls before a showing. Pick up the pet toys and stow away the cat tree. For instance, you might want to go as far as removing pet photos from the refrigerator, walls and table tops.
Repair Damages
Repair any damages your pet has done inside and outside of your home. Incidentally, this may require some investment of time and money on your part. Also, make sure your yard is clear of messes and toys. In Arizona our yard is an extension of our living space and is just as important as the inside to potential buyers.
Don’t Sell a Stinky Home!
Lastly, make sure your house smells good. Our powerful sense of smell has a tremendous effect on our emotions and perception of things. Keeping the litter box clean is key. Nothing is worse than opening the laundry room door to a nasty cat box. Animal smells can be absorbed by carpet and upholstery, therefore it might be a good idea to have furniture and carpets professionally cleaned.
Being prepared for selling your home with pets will be worth it. If you follow these few simple tips your home should look and smell pet free.Thus, giving buyers little to complain about.
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