Ways To Manage Your Pets When Your House Is For Sale
Posted on: 29 November 2016
Selling your home can be a big process for the members of your family — including your pets. While your children will be able to understand what's going on, your pets will not. When you have an open house or private viewing coming up, you'll need to take care of your pets. You don't want them getting overly anxious, but you also don't want them interfering with the people who will be touring through your home and considering whether they wish to submit an offer. Here are some different ways to manage your pets during these instances.
Remove Some Pets
Depending on the type and personality of your pets, it's important to plan to remove some of them before an open house or private viewings. Since you won't be in the house while people tour through it, you won't be able to control your family dog, for example. Some dogs might even seem a bit aggressive when strangers enter the home without you around. See if a neighbor or friend can look after any pets that should be removed from the home. Otherwise, take the pet with you to a dog park or trail during the open house or private viewing.
Leave Some Pets
Pets that won't disrupt the event can be left in your home. You know the personality of your cat, for example. If it's the type of pet that will spend the entire open house or private viewing hiding somewhere out of sight, it's OK to leave the cat at home. It's a good idea to leave a note near the door that lets people know that a cat is home. For example, the note can simply read that you have one cat in the residence, but that it is shy and will unlikely be seen by the agent or the prospective buyer.
Address Any Allergy Concerns
You don't know if those visiting your home might have allergies to pets, so it's useful to include a mention of the pets you own on your real estate listing. Even if pets aren't in the home, people with allergies may still have reactions. For this reason, it's courteous to vacuum and dust the home thoroughly before any open house or private viewing. Doing so will eliminate the bulk of the pet hair sitting on the floor or other surfaces. If the weather is appropriate, you might also consider opening some windows to freshen up your home for those with allergies.
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