If Selling Home, Deal With Pets

Q: My house is going on the market soon and I have a lot of animals (cats, dogs and couple of birds). Are there things I should do to get the house ready? I’m not sure what to do with all the animals for showings.

A: A lot of animals can be a challenge when trying to sell a house. First of all, if the dogs are large, or in anyway aggressive or “barky,” I would remove them for showings unless you can put them in a crate, kennel or dog run. Worst case, you can keep them in the garage or an office or small room. But the idea of not showing even the most basic part of your house is not ideal and knowing dogs which may bite are in a room makes prospective buyers very nervous, especially if they have children with them. As for the cats and birds, there’s not much you can do about them. If you don’t let your cats outside, I recommend putting a note on the front and back doors reminding people not to let them out. This takes care of how to show the house while it’s listed, but as we all know, there are other issues when it comes to animals.

The biggest issue people face with a lot of cats or birds is odor. Clean cages and boxes daily, if not twice daily, while your house is on the market. Keep any cat boxes and animal supplies out of sight. They should never be in the following places — and yes, I’ve unfortunately seen them in all of the following — kitchen, living room, bedroom or clothes closet. Ideally, they would be kept in the garage with a cat door, but I know that’s not practical for many people. I think the majority of us cat owners keep them in the bathrooms and that’s fine. Try to keep them as far out of sight as possible, and keep them as clean as possible. The latter applies to the whole house, so you might find yourself dusting and vacuuming daily in addition to the bed-making, dishes and general straightening-up.

One final issue: carpets. If you and your Realtor feel there are too many stains in the carpets, or there’s an odor, you might decide to offer a carpet allowance or to replace them for the new buyer. This can go a long way toward easing the buyer’s concerns and will allow them to focus on the other aspects of the house, which they hopefully love. Even with an allowance offered, I would recommend having the carpets cleaned. You might find you don’t need the allowance after all, and you still want to have the house as clean and fresh as possible for showings.

Good luck and remember, you’re trying to make your house as inviting for buyers as possible. To do that you’ve got to be prepared to make your living situation a little less comfortable.

Talia Freedman is a Realtor with Signature Southwest Properties