Selling Your Home When You Have a Pet

Selling your home when you own a pet can present some unique challenges.  For instance, prospective buyers may be allergic to pets, could be intimidated by them (especially large barking dogs), or they simply might not like pets in general. In order to avoid running into any of these issues and possibly turning off a potential buyer, the following pointers will help pet owners sell their home.

1.)    Relocate your Pet - Most pet lovers might not want to hear this, but the best solution when putting your home on the market is to relocate your pet during showings and open houses. Putting them in the backyard, basement or garage is not fair to them and may still turn off some potential buyers.

2.)    Professionally clean carpets and remove all stains. If stains remain then the carpet should be replaced, without question. Be sure to vacuum at least once per day, as close to the showing or open house as possible).

3.)    Minimize offensiveness by keeping cat litter boxes extremely clean and out of site.  In addition, make sure to clean up the backyard. Remove food and water dishes, pet toys, cages, and beds.

4.)    Invest in a good air purifier that will help eliminate pet odor and dander.

5.)    Even if your only pet are fish, make sure to scrub the tank and make it sparkle.  You don't want prospective homeowners hung up on a dirty fish tank when they should be looking at your beautiful moldings!

Keep in mind these handy tips to ensure that your home has the greatest appeal to the largest pool of buyers by ensuring that your pet does not create a barrier to getting your home sold!