In my last post I addressed Selling Your Home When You Have Children, that is tough enough but it is also a challenge when you have pets…..of any kind.
When I sold my house many years ago I had two Saint Bernards and you don’t just hide them in a crate in the corner. Even if you can you don’t want to. 
Almost any pet of the land variety should be taken out of a home during showings. I say land variety because a small bowl of gold fish is an exception. A large aquarium that takes up half the living room goes back to the same rules as the land variety.
This means hamsters, snakes, ferrets, birds, cats, dogs, lizards and dragons. Well…those small dragons. Hopefully all the large dragons were taken out previously. 🙂
Pets are a personal thing and a member of your family. You never leave a member of your family in your home during a showing. No matter how adorable and lovable your pet is, some people just don’t like them and you don’t need to keep reminding them that animals are living in the house they are looking to purchase.
Yes, it may be disclosed that there is a pet in the home but ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ is a very true statement here. If the potential buyer does not see dog beds, baskets of toys, litter boxes, water dishes and so on, as well as the pet itself, it doesn’t enter their minds.
If they see these things they start thinking about piddle on the carpet, scratched woodwork and so forth. Let’s not have them go there! Also many people are scared of animals, large or small. Terror is not an emotion you need them feeling when they are looking at your home. 
Another good reason to take your pet out of the house is for their own safety. Pets in crates and cages can be poked, teased and worse by some who don’t have pets or respect them. You don’t want your pet to be put in a vulnerable position and worse yet getting defensive and snapping or scratching someone. You are liable!
Is this a pain? Yes. Is this an inconvenience? Yes. Will you need a plan? Yes.
With two Saint Bernards I had to have a plan. I needed a three hour advance notice of a showing during the day so I could get home, get the pups in the truck, pack away their food, water dishes, beds, toys and wipe away any sign of their presence. The feedback was “I can’t believe there are animals in this house.” Perfect!!
Another reason that they didn’t know there were animals in the house was because they didn’t smell them when they walked in the door. As a pet owner I am sensitive to odors my pups can create in my home and you need to be too when you are selling. Especially when you are selling. Ask friends to stop by and to be honest on whether or not they smell any pet odors. You may not smell them since you are used to them but ask someone you trust that will be honest with you. And don’t take offense. 
Remember….your goal is to have your home in top selling condition so that it sells quickly and for top dollar. Then you can go back to living your normal life sooner rather than dragging the showings out even longer. If you want your house in top selling condition consider hiring a Home Staging Professional to assist you.
