We all love our cat, dog, rabbit, hamster, birds and other animals – however they may be stopping you from selling your home and you may not realise it. So when it comes to selling your home, there’s 8 things I would recommend you do – to make traces of Snoopy, Fluffy, Cuddles etc be less obvious:

1.Be gone with you!

You love your pet and you are confident in their presence.  They will probably not bark at you, growl, hiss, sqauck, jump-on, rub themselves on or similar.  But they probably will at strangers.  There’s many people that are just scared of animals, dogs and cats in particular.  Also it is not very nice to give “handling” responsibility to your real estate agent, particularly if the animal isn’t great with strangers or has a tendency to bolt for the front door and down the street at every opportunity. (Both have happened to me)

So make sure your animal is gone from the property.

2.Remove all evidence!  CSI level clean-up required

Think CSI – think of all the things that would come up in evidence:

1) Remove hairs (dog and cat hair gets everywhere)

2) Saliva stains (on windows)

3) Poo  (remove all surprises from the grass)

4) Under bird cage seeds and droppings

3.Pet Damage: repairs

We know that pets love playing with the carpet, paintwork or door frames and other bits of furniture.

Try and ensure these things are fixed.

They also have a tendency to rub up against walls and door frames.

Make sure you clean them or re-paint them.

4.Do not neglect the outside of your property

Aside from the lawn (surprise) mentioned above – damage left by animals in gardens and lawns do need to be repaired.  They are able to leave behind unsightly holes and rip up patches of lawn.

5.How do you smell?  Chances are your animals leave strong smells.

Pets’ smell is an item which contributes to turning off potential buyers. You are used to it and it is your own pet so it does not disturb you.  But even someone with limited smelling capacity will smell your animal.    Carpets, floor areas and bedding, lounges, tiles etc can easily trap in animal smells.  So make sure you sanitise, deodorise and cover-up all the smells.

6.Get rid of their toys

Once all the previous tips done, you have to hide their toys as it is another evidence of their presence. Remove all of their toys, play things and even their dog house / sleeping area / scratching posts etc if possible.

7.Ask the agent to do a walk through – or a friend or a neighbour

Get someone you know and trust to give you a pet free audit.

Ask them to inspect and smell to make sure you have done your best to remove the traces of your animal.  Getting an objective opinion is much better than not.

8. For stay at home animals like fish, mice, hamsters, reptiles etc 

If they have to stay in the house it might be best that you do a spring clean of their cage and surrounds.  Change water, food containers etc etc You may also be able to cover the pets home.  But if in doubt you might just want to pick up the pets home and take it with you in the car for the 30 minutes or 60 minutes of the home open.

So there you have it there’s my 8 step guide to selling your house and still keeping you pet as part of your family.  Remember you don’t need to introduce your pet to the buyers of their next home – yours.

 

If I can help you with buying, selling or renting please let me know on 0431 417 345.

Your friend in real estate