Pet owner? What to think about when selling your house
While most people love pets, there is a significant proportion of the population who don’t -and if you’re thinking about selling your home, this is the market you need think about. Having pets in your home can turn a lot of people off buying, whether to do with the smell, hair or stains from unwanted accidents. These are all things you should think about ahead of time before inviting potential buyers into your home. Follow our tips below to ensure you get the best price possible.
Deep cleaning your home for buyers
This one is a definite must. As harsh as it might sound, getting rid of signs of your pet needs to begin with a deep clean of your home, especially carpets and furniture, to ensure no signs of said stains or hairs. Living with a pet long-term may mean you don’t see these things as much but potential buyers who are not pet friendly will. While they will be bringing their own furniture, remember you are selling a dream – a deep clean will ensure you do this successfully. It’s a good idea to get a professional in to do this, as they will see things that you may not.
If you are not able to get a professional cleaner in, firstly ask a non pet owning friend to come over to smell potential odours as you may not have spotted them – enzyme cleaners are best. Have a look at this Good Housekeeping guide for recommended products.
If you have a problem with removing a stain, remove the item completely – i.e. replace the cushion cover, or cover it with a new rug. Your buyer will not want to see signs of dirt.
Don’t advertise signs of a pet
Again, this may seem harsh but is necessary. Also, if you are going to all the effort in my last point why slip up at the last minute to an unfriendly pet buyer? First impressions count and are very important, so you don’t want any ‘turn-offs’. The small things to keep out of sight from the eyes of potential buyers would be;
- Dog / cat beds
- Photos of your pets around the house
- Pet toys
- Any pet doors around the house
- Food or treats lying around the house
If it’s possible, always hide these things away from potential buyers as these are sure signs you have a pet living there.
Lastly on this point if you do have signs, for example beware for the dog or ‘I love my cat’ take these down.
When showing your home
First off all, after all the work you’ve done to show your home is a non-pet home, don’t have your pet there. If you can either leave your pet with a neighbour, friend or at a kennel during any home viewings then do. If you have viewers who don’t like, are scared of, or nervous around animals this will put them off your home as a potential buyer straight away.
That being said, even if you have had a deep clean you will still need to vacuum thoroughly and check for any new odours or marks if your pet has been back in the house. The age-old trick of having the smell of baking bread can sometimes work wonders – so if you have any last minute concerns a good tip is to buy some frozen half baked bread and put them in the oven. Hopefully a pre deep clean will mean you won’t need this!
And finally…
I appreciate that some of my recommendations might be controversial but when there is a competitive market for buyers and sellers you want to attract the best possible chance of a sale (and a good price!) so please give this some thought, even if you don’t agree with all of it.
Did I mention? Make sure you have an experienced professional property photographer, too…
