Tips for Virginia Home sellers- How to Sell your home with Pets?
How to Sell a House Where Pets Live....
While
we all are in a great mood to celebrate holidays. Many home sellers are
preparing their home to be on the market after the holidays.
Almost
everybody loves pets except the home buyer who is buying your house.
Don't ask me why, but that's often how it works out. Home sellers who
adore their pets -- and I count myself as a huge pet lover -- have a
hard time imagining the negative attitudes others harbor against pets.
So, while this might be a bitter pill to swallow, if you want to get top
dollar for your house, pay attention to how much you might lose with a
dog or cat in residence.
Why Don't Home Buyers Like Your Pet?
Nervousness : Pets make some people very uncomfortable. Not everybody grew up with a family pet or enjoys outings at the zoo. Fur and four legs does not a human make.
Fear :
Real and irrational. It's not only dogs that instill fear in people.
All kinds of silly wives' tales and superstitions involve cats.
Inexperience : Pets are not always predictable.
Your pets aren't their pets. They imagine yours bite, jump, vomit, claw, spit-up hairballs or are just plain hyper and bad.
#1 Preferred Pet Solution
You're
not going to like this but I'll say it anyway, fully realizing that
this very excellent piece of advice is likely to fall on deaf ears. The
best thing to do to ensure top price for your home in Virginia is to
relocate your pets while your ho me
is on the market. Putting them in the back yard, in the garage or in
another room that you keep locked is insufficient, and it's not fair to
them. You need to remove them from the house.
Let a friend or relative care for Fluffy and Spike.
Board them at a kennel.
Send them on vacation.
Overcoming Negatives Associated with Your Pets
If
you shrug off all professional advice and absolutely refuse to move
your pets out of the house, then at least minimize the objections and
nuisance factors, real or otherwise:
Cat Litter Boxes & Dog Potty Pads
Keep them out of sight and impeccably clean. Nothing turns off buyers faster than opening the door to the laundry room and being greeted by a full or stinky cat box.
Carpet & Floor Pet Stains
Hire
professionals to remove the stains. Buyers will spot them and form
unfavorable opinions about the rest of the house. If the stains can't be
removed, then remove the floor covering and replace it.
Pet Odors and Smells
Cat urine is the worst without any questions, the worst. Bring in a neighbor to do a whiff test. Do not use air fresheners. People with allergies will react Try enzyme cleaners such as Simple Solution, Nature's Miracle or call a professional ozone company. Remove Signs of a Pet
You may be required by state law to disclose that pets have lived in your home, but you don't need to advertise tha t
pets live at your house. Removing signs that you have a pet is simply
smart practice. Why turn off a buyer at the get-go? It's those first
impressions that are so all-fired important.
Do not put pho tos online showing your cat asleep on the bed Seal up doggie doors Put away food and water bowls when not in use Vacuum religiously, every day, sometimes twice a day Pick up pet toys and put them away Pack up cat trees and other signs of cat paraphernalia (you know who you are) Remove photo s of pets from refrigerator, walls and table tops Pack up all cages, carriers and other tell-tale signs Showing Your House
Put your pets into a carrier and attach a note warning buyers not to disturb them. The last th ing
you need is somebody sticking their hand inside the carrier and getting
bit or scratched. You can't predict how your pet will react when locked
up and alone.
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