Complete Guide to Selling a House With Pets at Home: Showing & Cleaning Strategies

How to Sell a Home With Pets Living in ItWhile you’d think it would be easy to sell a pet-friendly house, since the majority of homebuyers have at least one pet at home, selling your home with pets can present unique challenges. Obvious signs of pets in a home for sale can significantly influence how potential buyers perceive the home, and that perception isn't always positive. The process requires careful planning, from ensuring your furry companions don't disrupt house showings to maintaining a pristine living space.

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Stay tuned to discover how you can successfully showcase your property while keeping your pets content. There are crucial strategies to explore that will elevate your home's appeal and make the selling experience smoother.

Removing Evidence of Pets

To enhance the appeal of your home to potential buyers, ensuring all signs of pets are removed is crucial in creating a clean and pet-free space. When preparing for showings, it's essential to erase signs of pets by storing away pet toys, bedding, litter boxes, and food. Put away crates, kennels, food and water bowls, cat trees—any visible pet accessories. Additionally, remove any displayed photos featuring your pets and ensure they don't appear in any marketing materials to maintain a neutral environment.

It’s also not enough to relocate all of these items into a garage or closet. Homebuyers are nosy during showings and will likely be opening any storage spaces to evaluate the size. To keep them hidden, you’ll have to remove them from the property entirely.

Decluttering the space from pet-related items, such as pet beds and toys, is vital for staging your home right. This meticulous approach helps in creating a welcoming and pet-free space that can attract potential buyers looking for a clean and well-maintained property.

Marketing a Pet-Friendly Home to Buyers

There are two schools of thought on this part of the home selling process: avoiding marketing your home as pet-friendly and highlighting your home’s pet-friendly features. Your best strategy will likely depend on how well you’re able to remove signs of your pet.

Removing visible signs of pets is recommended to appeal to all buyers, including non-pet-owners. Some buyers may even be afraid of your pet, or allergic. However, some permanent fixtures like a dog wash station or fenced dog run may be impossible to conceal.If that’s the case, you may wish to pivot your marketing strategy and target pet owners specifically.

Highlighting the pet-friendly features of a home in property listings may attract a narrower range of potential buyers, but pet owners are known to buy faster and for more when they’re motivated by a specific pet amenity. One highly desired feature that enhances the perception of a pet-friendly home is a private fenced yard.

Additionally, if you can ascertain that a potential buyer is a pet owner, mentioning nearby pet-friendly facilities such as parks and groomers during the showing can further enhance the appeal of the property. By emphasizing these aspects, sellers can attract buyers seeking homes that cater to their pet-related needs.

Performing a Professional Deep Clean

Investing in professional deep cleaning services can significantly enhance the cleanliness and visual appeal of your home, especially when preparing to sell it with pets.

Removing Pet Odors

When preparing your home for sale, addressing pet odors is essential to create a welcoming environment for potential buyers and enhance the overall appeal of the property. Professional cleaning is crucial to eliminate stubborn pet odors deeply embedded in carpets and flooring, and failure to do so could be one of the reasons why your home isn't selling.

It's also beneficial to open windows and use essential oils to help reduce pet odors throughout the home. However, overwhelming these odors with stronger scents isn't recommended, as it may be off-putting to buyers. Light and fresh is the goal.

Lingering pet odors can easily deter potential buyers during showings, emphasizing the importance of neutralizing them to create a more inviting atmosphere. Regular cleaning and maintenance play a significant role in preventing pet odors from becoming a problem when selling your home.

Removing Pet Stains

Professional deep cleaning will also tackle stubborn pet stains and remove hidden pet messes that may go unnoticed. These services are adept at targeting pet dander, allergens, and embedded hairs to create a fresher indoor environment that appeals to potential buyers.

It’s important to note that pet stains can go deeper than the surface appearance. A pet stain on the carpet may soak through and penetrate the wood beneath. In particularly severe cases, you may need to replace some of your flooring to truly eliminate a stain.

By investing in professional cleaning services, you demonstrate a commitment to presenting your home in the best possible light, ensuring that pet-related concerns are effectively dealt with before listing your property on the market.

Repairing Pet Damage

While you may not notice a chewed chair leg or some scratches by the door anymore, it's important to prioritize repairing pet damage such as stained carpets, scratched floors, and damaged furniture.

Replace stained or worn carpets to eliminate signs of pet damage, improving the overall look of your home. Refinish scratched hardwood or pine floors to restore their original beauty and appeal to potential buyers.

Consider hiring a professional painter to fix scratches on doors and woodwork caused by pets, ensuring a polished finish. Remove furniture with scratches or ripped fabric to create a more appealing space, allowing buyers to envision themselves in the home without pet-related distractions.

If you can’t or don’t want to undertake these repairs as they can increase the cost of selling your home, consider offering the buyer a discounted price that will pay for them to make the repairs themselves.

Clean Up the Yard

Cleaning up the yard is essential to enhance the curb appeal of your home when selling with pets. Repair any pet-caused damage, like holes or chewed plants, to present a well-maintained exterior. Using fresh soil or sod to fill in damaged areas where pets may have dug or created patches can instantly improve the yard's appearance.

Regularly picking up after pets in the yard is crucial to keep the space clean and inviting for potential buyers. A well-groomed yard, free of pet waste and visible damage, can attract buyers and create a positive first impression of the property.

Remember, your home’s exterior is the first impression a buyer will have of your home.

Have Someone Pet-Sit During Showings

Consider enlisting a friend to pet-sit or take advantage of a boarding service to alleviate stress for both your pets and potential buyers during home showings. You’re not the only resident who will be stressed out by selling your homeeven the most well-behaved pets can feel anxious with strangers in their space, potentially leading to unexpected behavior. Professional pet-sitting services can ensure your pets are well-cared for and content while you focus on presenting your home in the best light.

Having someone pet-sit not only reduces stress for your furry friends but also creates a more inviting atmosphere for potential buyers, as they can freely explore your property without distractions. Furthermore, if you’re showing your home while living in it, professional pet-sitting arrangements help maintain a clean and odor-free environment between showings, enhancing the overall appeal of your home.

What to Do If You Can't Relocate Your Pet

If enlisting a pet sitter isn't feasible, informing your real estate agent about your pet situation is crucial to effectively plan showings while minimizing disruptions. Discussing your pet ownership situation with your real estate agent can help them understand how to best showcase your home while considering your pet's needs.

Creating a designated area where your pet can stay during showings minimizes disruptions and helps maintain a sense of order and cleanliness in your home. You’ll want to leave a clear sign or note informing potential buyers of where the pet is located, ex. “Friendly cat in the laundry room; please don’t let out.” This will help prevent unwanted encounters.

If you won’t be able to help contain your pet before a showing starts, be sure to let your agent know where the pet should be contained and leave them treats to help encourage your pet to cooperate.

This proactive approach can lead to a smoother selling process and a more positive experience for both you and potential buyers.

Talk to Neighbors About Their Noisy Pets

What if your dog isn’t the problem? What if it’s the noisy neighbor dog?

Simply asking neighbors to keep their pets indoors during scheduled showings can go a long way toward helping minimize noise disruptions. Open communication with neighbors is key to finding solutions that benefit both parties.

When addressing noise concerns, it's important to approach the conversation diplomatically and suggest possible solutions. Being considerate and offering to cover expenses for alternatives like dog daycare on the day of the showing may make neighbors more receptive to accommodating your needs. Working together with neighbors can create a more peaceful environment for potential buyers and improve the overall showing experience.

If a neighbor is unwilling to cooperate, you might consider looking into your local noise ordinances and seeing if you can get legal help.

Selling a Home With Pets is Difficult, But Not Impossible

Selling a home with pets requires careful planning, attention to detail, and choosing the right real estate agent.

By taking proactive steps to remove evidence of pets, marketing the home as pet-friendly if you can’t market it as neutral, and addressing any pet-related issues, homeowners can create a more appealing environment for potential buyers.

Enlisting the help of a professional deep cleaner, repairing any pet damage, and having someone pet-sit during showings can make a significant difference in showcasing the property in the best possible light.

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