Being an animal lover myself, and having a wife who is obsessed with animals I know the challenges of buying and selling a home when you have pets. The good news I have put together a list of Tips For Selling Your Calgary Home When You Have Pets and things you can do to help you and your pets through this process.
1. Clean The Litter-box
First and foremost the letterbox has to be clean. Always. No evidence ever. Just like real estate, litter-boxes are about location, location, location. While I realize that your cat may have become accustomed to having its litter box in the basement shower that you never use, it’s super gross to everyone except you. Hide it away as best you can. Of course do this long before showings begin so that your cat can get used to it and doesn’t rebel.
2. Fur Can Get Everywhere
Unless you own a hairless cat chances are you probably have evidence of fur somewhere in your home. As a home seller your job is to keep the fur contained. It’s never good when potential Buyers get distracted by fur balls or allergy sufferers go running out. This may mean needing to vacuum and sweep multiple times especially prior to showings.
3. Smells Can Be Too Much
Sometimes after living with animals you can become nose blind. This can mean you don’t smell the wet dog smell anymore,but that doesn’t mean potential buys wont. Before we go to list you home here are some things you can do to get rid of the smell:
So don’t trust your own nose. Before listing your house for sale:
- Get the carpets and upholstery cleaned
- Thoroughly wash the floors
- If Fido or Fifi has a history of accidents on a particular area rug, get rid of the rug
- Feed dry food instead of canned (the smell lingers longer than you know)
- Throw out old stuffie toys
- Put away the dog and cat beds
4. Is Fido Friendly?
Walking into a home you are looking to buy, the last thing you should be worried about is if the cat or dog is friendly that lives there. Pets can be unpredictable, and every experienced agent has been scratched by a cat, jumped on by an excited dog or bitten by something at some point. While it will make your home memorable, it probably won’t make people want to buy it. In an ideal world, your home is pet-free during showings. Take your pups for a walk, have them stay with friends and family during the selling process or even consider boarding them.
We have more dogs and cats than people on the Jason Saville Real Estate team. We love our pets..and we love yours too. When it comes to selling your home with pets though, remember that:
- Not everybody likes pets in the house;
- Some people will outright avoid houses with pets;
- Not everybody wants to see, smell or hear your pets.
Have questions about selling your home when you have a pet? Reach out, I would be happy to answer all the questions you might have.
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