How To Prepare Your Home For Sale: How Spot And Fluffy Can Scare A Sale Off

Website design By BotEap.comSuccess! He fixed problems, organized storage spaces, removed clutter, painted, laid out new carpeting, did landscape maintenance, and has a ‘For Sale’ sign on his front yard. Everything is good.

Website design By BotEap.comYou start to feel that potential buyers will come and look at the house. And everything is fine. Well, there’s Spot, your beloved pit bull, and Fluffy, your neurotic, completely unsociable cat. People will love them and they will love all visitors, right?

Website design By BotEap.comPets are great in almost every way for their owners. When it comes to selling your house, well, not so much. Pets present some unusual obstacles when selling your home. First, a lot of people don’t really like animals. I know… your dog and your cat are different. People will just love them when they get to know them. My pets are different. No, they really aren’t. Not in the mind of a potential buyer who just doesn’t like animals.

Website design By BotEap.comSome people are allergic to pets. They don’t have to be in direct contact with a dog or a cat…or a hamster for that matter. The hair and dander that come with owning a pet are enough to trigger an allergic reaction in most pet sufferers.

Website design By BotEap.comThen there’s the possibility that your prospective buyer was attacked and bitten by a dog when young or has an aversion to felines of any kind, for whatever reason. Some people are really afraid of dogs or cats… or animals of any kind. Although this is hard for animal lovers to believe, it is a fact that you should be aware of or risk alienating that ‘perfect’ buyer for your home.

Website design By BotEap.comThen there’s the matter of the unlikely event that while viewing your home and during a tour, a potential buyer receives a… well, a gift from your animals. How do you think they will remember your house after the leave: the wonderful wallpaper, the big backyard or the ‘place’ left by Spot?

Website design By BotEap.comYou won’t change a pet lover’s mind. He must keep them caged inside or relegated to the backyard (chained or restrained) while he has guests over. You have to make your prospective buyers feel comfortable in your home. You want them to take their time and remember your visit with only positive memories. I have never heard of anyone receiving an offer from a person who was forced to flee a home in fear of losing her life, disgusted by what she saw, or stricken with an allergic reaction.