tips on selling a home with pets

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rochesterrealestateblog.com http://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-sell-a-home-with-pets/ How To Sell A Home With Pets How To Sell A Home With Pets When it comes time to sell your home, it’s possible you will encounter at least a handful of challenges throughout the home selling process. Selling a home with pets presents several additional challenges for a home owner. As a pet owner myself, it’s incredible how important our pets are to us. While our furry friends are extremely important to most homeowners, they also make selling a home more difficult and also require that additional preparation is taken before selling a home. A pet owner who is selling their home must understand it’s going to take some additional work and effort to sell their home! So, if you’re a pet owner, before you list your home for sale, make sure you take the prepare your home and also understand what selling a home with pets may involve. Below are some of the best tips on how to sell a home with pets. How To Prepare Your Home For Sale When Owning Pets Give Your Home A Deep Clean One of the top ways to scare away a potential home buyer is with foul odors. The reality is that pets can create some less than desirable odors and smells. If you have pets, before you list your home for sale, it’s critical that you give your home a deep cleaning. A deep cleaning is not as simple as vacuuming the floors and cleaning the counter tops. When selling a home with pets, a deep cleaning must cover many of those tough to access areas. This includes behind all furniture, underneath all throw rugs, and inside each closet. Pet hair and dust do a great job at finding their way into those

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Page 1: Tips On Selling A Home With Pets

rochesterrealestateblog.com http://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/how-to-sell-a-home-with-pets/

How To Sell A Home With Pets

How To Sell A Home With Pets

When it comes time to sell yourhome, it’s possible you willencounter at least a handful ofchallenges throughout the homeselling process. Selling a home withpets presents several additionalchallenges for a home owner. As apet owner myself, it’s incredible howimportant our pets are to us.

While our furry friends are extremelyimportant to most homeowners, theyalso make selling a home moredifficult and also require thatadditional preparation is takenbefore selling a home. A pet ownerwho is selling their home mustunderstand it’s going to take someadditional work and effort to sell theirhome!

So, if you’re a pet owner, before youlist your home for sale, make sureyou take the prepare your home andalso understand what selling a homewith pets may involve. Below aresome of the best tips on how to sell ahome with pets.

How To Prepare Your Home ForSale When Owning Pets

Give Your Home A Deep Clean

One of the top ways to scare away apotential home buyer is with foulodors. The reality is that pets cancreate some less than desirableodors and smells. If you have pets,before you list your home for sale,it’s critical that you give your home adeep cleaning.

A deep cleaning is not as simple as vacuuming the floors and cleaning the counter tops. When selling a home withpets, a deep cleaning must cover many of those tough to access areas. This includes behind all furniture,underneath all throw rugs, and inside each closet. Pet hair and dust do a great job at finding their way into those

Page 2: Tips On Selling A Home With Pets

When Selling a Home With Pets, Pay Attention To The Exterior

hard to access areas. Even consider having your duct work in your home cleaned out as pet hair and dust can makeit’s way into the ducts of your home fairly easily. By making sure these “hard to reach” areas are cleaned, it can makea huge difference in removing any foul odors from your pets.

Whether cleaning is something you like to do or not, it’s not a bad idea to hire a professional cleaning service. Inaddition to the fact that these professional cleaning companies clean homes frequently and should be great at whatthey do, it’s also not a bad idea to have an unbiased opinion of whether your home has pet odors which can kill homesales or not.

Clean Up Your Pets Belongings

Whether you are selling a home with pets or not, one of the most inexpensive ways to prepare your home for sale isby decluttering. When you have pets and you’re preparing your home for sale, it’s important to clean up after yourpets belongings.

A pets belongings can include their toys, beds, blankets, or even their litter pans. The last thing you want potentialbuyers having to do is avoiding your pets pile of toys in your living room. Obviously it’s difficult to remove all of yourpets belongings, however, making sure their belongings are in an organized pile in a tucked away area, such as acloset or a basement, can make a big difference.

What are the most common pet belongings you should be cleaning up?

Litter pans

Pet blankets

Pet beds

Cat towers/trees

Pet toy bin/basket

Collars

Pet food

Pet dishes

Clean Up The Exterior

Whether you have pets or not,making sure that the exterior of yourhome is prepared for the sale isimportant. If you have pets it shouldbe something you take extra specialcare of.

There are a couple specific thingsthat you should make sure arecompleted before selling your home. First and foremost, make sure youpick up after your pet if they use yourbackyard as their bathroom. Thelast thing you want is for a potentialbuyer to step in an area where youhave forgotten to pick up after yourpet.

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Other considerations to make whenselling your home with pets is thecondition of your lawn andlandscaping. Many pets, such as adog, make it a habit to dig holes inthe yard or landscaping. Make surethat you have filled any holes thatyour pet has made in the past. These things may seem like smalltasks but they can make a hugeimpact on a potential buyers outlookof your home.

Have Your Home Checked ForFleas

We all like to think that our pets arevery clean and do not carry anyfleas. This may certainly be thecase, however, it may not be. Thereare several ways to know if you havefleas in your home and if yoususpect this is the case, you shouldhave a professional inspect further. Fleas and other pests can scareaway potential buyers and issomething you should addressbefore anyone walks through yourhome.

Repair Any Interior Damage YourPets Have Caused

While this may not apply to every petowner, some pets make it a habit todestroy our homes. Before you listyour home for sale, if your furryfriend has damaged your home,make sure you correct it.

A homes flooring is one of the most frequently damaged areas of a home. If your pet has damaged your carpeting orfloors, make sure you have this addressed before potential buyers begin walking through your home.

Other possible pet damaged areas in a home may include;

Scratched hardwood floors

Trim work around doors

Ripped screens

Kitchen cabinet doors

Lower trim work

Page 4: Tips On Selling A Home With Pets

When Selling A Home With Pets, Relocating Your Pets Is A Good Idea

Furniture

Tips For Selling Your Home With Your Pets

Don’t Restrict Showings Because Of Your Pets – Be Prepared!

Before you sell your home, whether it’s with pets or not, you must know that selling a home requires some effort andhard work. One of the biggest mistakes a seller can make when selling their home is restricting the times it can beshown.

The primary reason why restricting the times your home can be shown can be detrimental is due to the fact that abuyer will not stop their home search because they cannot get into your home. If you’re unable to accommodate ashowing because of your pets, it’s possible that what is convenient for you may not be convenient for the potentialpurchaser.

If you’re selling a home with pets, make sure you have a plan of action in place in the event a showing day and timeis requested that may not be convenient for you. I cannot reiterate how detrimental it is to limit the times your homecan be shown.

Relocate Your Pets

When selling a home, a possiblesolution to having your petsnegatively impact your home sale isto relocate them. It’s not easy for apet owner to allow their pets to liveother places than their home,however, it may make a bigdifference.

One possible place to relocate yourpets while you’re selling your homeis to a friend or family membershome. If someone is nice enough totake in your pet, it can makeaccommodating showings that mucheasier if you don’t have to worryabout your pets. Other possibleplaces to relocate your pets whileselling your home is a kennel or aday care service for animals.

Remove Your Pets DuringShowings

If you are unwilling to relocate yourpets while selling your home, thenext best solution is to make sureyou remove your pets duringshowings. Just because you loveyour dog, Fido, doesn’t mean thatevery potential buyer who walksthrough your home is going to love

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your dog.

Whether it means you take youranimal for a walk or pack them andtheir belongings up in your car for along car ride, at the very least, makesure you remove your pets duringshowings.

Another way to remove your petsduring showings that is becomingmore popular is hiring a walkingservice. If you happen to have adog, you can hire a company orperson that will come to your homeand take your dog for a walk for aperiod of time.

Secure Pets In Pet Crates

If you are unable or unwilling torelocate your pets and you cannotremove your pets during showings,securing your pets in crates duringshowings should be the last resort. It’s not a smart decision to allowyour pets to wander free duringhome showings as it can makesome potential buyers veryuncomfortable.

In addition to making some buyersuncomfortable, by not placing yourpets in crates you run the risk of yourpet escaping or even worse, injuringa potential buyer or Realtor who iswalking through your home. Whenyou’re selling your home with pets,the last thing you want to have toworry about is your pet escaping or injuring someone who is walking through your home.

Final Thoughts

Selling a home with pets can certainly be challenging. It can bring additional work and effort into the equation. Ifyou’re selling your home and you have pets, that you take all the proper steps before you list your home for sale andalso take all the proper steps while your home is being shown.

By correctly following the above tips on how to sell a home with pets, you will greatly increase the chance that youhave a successful home selling experience. Remember, by avoiding or skipping these tips you and your furry friendswill likely be inconvenienced for a longer period of time which is not only stressful on you, but also your friends!

Other Top Resources For Selling A Home With Pets

Page 6: Tips On Selling A Home With Pets

Tips To Sell A Home With Pets via Maximum Real Estate Exposure

Home Selling Tips For Pet Owners via Property Cluster

How To Sell Your Home If You Have Pets via Total Mortgage

Are you planning a sale of your Rochester, NY home and have pets? Make sure you follow the abovepreparation tips as well as the tips while your home is listed for sale! It’s important that your furry friends don’t ruinthe chance of your home being sold. If you don’t have a top selling Rochester, NY Realtor yet, contact me, and I’dlove to assist you and your furry friends with the sale of your home. I can recommend not only many companies whocan assist with the preparation but also many companies who can watch over your pets while your home is beingsold.

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About the authors: The above article “How To Sell A Home With Pets” was provided by the Keith Hiscock SoldTeam (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinking of selling or buying, we’dlove to share our knowledge and expertise. We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit,Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton, Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton,Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush, Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY. Visit our websiteat www.HiscockHomes.com.

© 2015, Kyle Hiscock. All rights reserved.