Selling your home is a process all on its own, but when you add pets to the mix, things can get even more stressful! You need to have a plan for what to do with your pets and all of their belongings before you put your house on the market.
Some buyers may have bad allergies and others may simply see a home with a pet as a drawback. Your job as the seller is to eliminate as many negatives as you can from the buyers’ minds, including your furry family members.
We’re here to help you come up with a plan for what to do with pets when selling your home. This way any showings or inspections will go smoothly. If you want more tips on how to sell your home, click on this post that covers everything you need to know about putting your house on the market! Let’s get started by learning how to prepare your house for the market when you have pets.
Prep Your House for the Market
Preparing your home to go on the market when you have pets can be a huge ordeal! The first thing you’ll need to do is get your house in order and ready to be put on the market. Since you have pets, you will need to eliminate all pet stains and prevent future stains while your house is for sale. You will also need to get rid of all pet odors.
All pet stains need to be removed from the carpets and any rugs or furniture. Click here for a post that includes tips on how to clean pet stains before selling your house. It goes in more detail of how to get rid of all those pet stains and odors and how to clean and deodorize them as well.
Remember that it isn’t just enough to remove the visible signs of pets, but you need to ensure that all pet odors are gone! Sometimes owners can get used to the pet odors in their home, so you may want an outside source, like a neighbor, friend, or even your realtor to do a walkthrough of your home. They will be able to tell you straight away if there are any lingering pet odors.
Remember that pets often go in the same spots, so even if a buyer has pets of their own they will know that the stain and odors need to be gone to prevent their pets from going in the same spot. If you need to bring in the professionals to take care of any stains, bring them in. Now is the time.
You will also need to remove any pet hair and make any repairs on the floors or walls if your pets have damaged them. While you are depersonalizing your home, be sure to remove any pet photos and any mats or picture frames that include pets. If a homebuyer sees any signs that a pet lives inside, it may change their mind on your home.
For more information on what homebuyers need to know, check out this post. There’s a lot that goes into the selling and home buying process, so once you know what homebuyers are looking for you’ll have a better idea of how to prepare your home to sell on the market!
Have a Plan for Showings
There are many reasons that you can’t leave your pets out during showings, mainly safety issues, but often sellers overlook a main reason that can often hurt them: some potential buyers have bad allergies to dogs and especially cats. The buyers’ realtor should know if their buyers have any allergies, but as a seller, eliminating all odors and hair can help you sell your home faster.
Not only will you need to put away your pets for showings, but you will also need to put away all of their dishes and toys. Put any food or cat litter out in the garage. Now you need a plan for your beloved pet.
While you can put your pet in a kennel, it’s better if you can board your pet or have a friend, family member, or neighbor watch your pet while your house is being shown. This makes the process easier on both the buyers and your pets.
Create a list of people you can count on and reach out for their help. This way, if a last minute showing pops up you have more than one person you can depend on. Being prepared will alleviate a lot of stress on your part.
Like we mentioned before, removing any personal photos, door mats, or knick knacks that mention pets is also a good idea. Potential buyers tend to frown upon homes that have pets inside. You don’t want your furry family member to be a reason why potential buyers don’t consider your home.
Before every showing you should also make sure that your home looks and smells pet free. If you read the post on how to sell your home that we mentioned above you know to stay away from using candles or sprays. These items sometimes only mask or even mix with odors instead of eliminating them.
Use baking soda to remove pet odors from carpets and upholstery. Be sure to vacuum the carpets, rugs, and furniture in your home and sweep the floors. You don’t want any pet hair left lying around for the buyers to see or smell.
Know that when your house is on the market you will have planned showings and unexpected showings come up. Make sure you have a plan for what to do with your pets for both circumstances. Ask for help from neighbors or friends if you can.
Keep Your Plan During the Closing Process
You will still need to put your pets up for a few things after your house goes under contract. There are two events during the closing process, the home inspection and the final walkthrough, that you will have to put your pets up for.
We have written a list of things that you as the seller can do to prepare for a home inspection. For more information on what to look for in a home inspection, read this post. This way you know how long a home inspection will take and the areas of the home the inspector will be in just in case you plan on leaving your pets in a kennel.
The final walk through is another event that you’ll need to put your pets up for. So make sure that however you planned to handle your pets during house showings will still work for the home inspection and final walkthrough.
If you asked for help from your neighbors or friends, let them know that you will still need their help when the day comes for the home inspection and final walkthrough. Being prepared in advance may seem like overkill, but it prevents you from having to come up with something last minute.
Closing Thoughts
Who knew that having pets could change how you sell your home? Now that you know what you need to do, remember that the first step is removing all pet stains and eliminating pet odors around your home! Then you can create a plan for your furry family members and their belongings when you begin showing your home.
I hope these tips have helped with what to do with pets when selling your home. If you have any other tips or tricks for how to handle your pets when selling your home, please share! We would love to hear your thoughts.
