Pets are NOT People

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Pets are NOT People

I will try and make this as clear as possible without offending the pet owners of the world. First...I love animals, I would never condone getting rid of your pets. Having said that, some need it pointed out they are not people. They do not help sell houses, whether because they are soooo cute or because they are a bit intimidating. Bottom line is if the buyer is looking at your pets, they are not looking at what you are selling. Your little family member that would never ever hurt no one just growled at my buyers child. End of showing...nice. While you may not notice it, you can smell both dogs and cats and some buyers are offended by the odor. Again, I will not argue whether or not your animals are clean but the only opinion that counts right now is the people who just left your showing because they were offended. It amazes me how sellers will spend days painting trim, shampooing carpets and making repairs but will not remove their pet during a showing. If your pet is truly a family member take it with you on a family walk while I sell your home. In today's market you may only get one shot at a sale, do you want to take a chance on it not happening because you disagree about your pets place in society? It would help your agent a lot to realize your pets are not people and should be removed for showings.

Notice above with either cute or scary pets pets around you are not focusing on the home for sale. Just a thought.

As always if you think the Big Rapids area is a place you would like to live give us a call (231) 796-5253 or check out either link below and we will help you find a house so the Big Rapids area can be your home too. Thanks for reading.

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Randy Ostrander
Lake and Lodge Realty
107 N. Michigan Suite B
Big Rapids, MI 49307
(231) 796-5253
randyooo@yahoo.com

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Posted by Randy Ostrander-Real Estate Broker, Serving Big Rapids and West Central MI on 05/15/2010 06:29 AM

Comments (142)

Pets Are NOT People in the ActiveRain Channel

showings, clients, buyers, sellers, randy ostrander, lake and lodge realty llc

Originally posted at: Welcome to my Big Rapids Real Estate Blog: Pets are NOT People

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142 Comments on Pets are NOT People

MAY

2010

It is a good idea for sellers to take the pets out of the house during showings as many buyers are scared of animals.

Randy - I couldn't agree with you more. Many of our clients are naive about the impact of a pet's presence and odors on a prospective buyer.

Betsy

Hi Randy, I hope ths is an outside post. I agree with you a 1000%.

I'll go a bit farther.

Ferrets stink.

Cat litter is not a good decorating feature.

Dogs do bite.

Loose pets are a barrier to sale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shampoo does not eradicate the stink of dog or cat urine in homes with pet damaged flooring. Sometimes the flooring has to be removed.

Just because that Doberman is friendly with family, doesn't mean he will be friendly with strangers entering his "territory" to look at your home when you're not home.

Even if the dog is a small terrior, a bite on the ankle will still hurt.

An agent who takes buyers into a home with a loose pet puts themselves at risk of their buyer suffers injury.

Folks are reluctant to buy a home when they can't see the garage because the German Shepherd is in there barking and gorwling.

Dog poop in the back yard doesn't make for a great place for the children to play. Same for cat poop in the sand box.

THE ABOVE are all from personal experience and are just a sampling of some of the "barriers to sale" that I've witnessed.

I came to the conclusion years ago that sellers who don't really want to sell leave the work of sending buyers away up to the pet.

I love my pets -- enough to know it's stressful to leave them in a house when strangers come in. Owners should always look at the items they need to deal with to sell their home faster. But they also have to look out for their furry family members. Love them enough to take them with you. Would you leave your 3 year old child alone in your home during a showing?

BESIDES BEING DISTRACTIONS

THEY ARE NEGATIVES JUST AS bad as smelling smoke in a home.

In all cases of pets and smoking one only things of the added costs involved in making the house their home.

Urine runs the hardwood floors, cat urine smell never leaves, smoking means that the walls need to be primed with an oil based primer before painting and that the vents and rest of the air conditioning equipment might need to be cleaned and even replaced. Dogs in almost 100% of the cases have destroyed doors or door jambs and this is an added expense for a buyer.

Remember that if your purchase a home where there was an animal, your pets may urinate in your new home to mark their territory.

Sonny

Personally, I love animals and I often enjoy seeing the ones that are at seller's homes. That having been said, every one of the points I just read in Lenn's comment is something that should be taken into consideration. Uncleanliness, in any form, has an impact on a home sale and that can surely come from a pet smell or cat box.

I have also had clients who are simply afraid of animals of any kind. They should really not be left in the house for a property showing for the sake of the sale as well as their own safety.

Randy....thank you for this awareness post....

You would think that when someone is trying to sell a home, the emphasis would be on that.........the home and the selling of it. Anything that distracts from that purpose has got to be mitigated and not encouraged......as described by my fellow commentators........At the risk of sounding offensive, I did not come to see your pets....thank you

Respectfully

I think it is pretty well agreed that pets are not an asset to selling a house. Further you need to make sure that the fact pets have been present in the MLS as those who have allergies will want to avoid your listing - a fact.

Amen Randy! And I wouldn't DO that to my PET! Why are all these peopple I don't know in MY house?! The outcome cannot be pretty...send them to the neighbors, a relatives or day camp...you'll sell quicker and the stress will be over sooner!

You mean this isn't a selling point?

Litter Box

I have been in showings where a the only thing between me and a snarling, barking dog was a 5 year old and her 80-something grandmother.

I have been in apartments where scooping ferret poop must have been against their religious beliefs.

Each time, as sale was killed before it could even be born.

I love animals but am indeed intimidated by others dogs. You never know of unpredictable behavior, especially when the owner is not home.

I have to 100% agree with your post. Sellers need to take care of their pets while showing home.

If you want to show off your pets, find a different setting. When you are trying to sell your home, try to sell your home. I took clients into a home once that had an aggressive dog that almost turned into a very bad situation. The showing instructions said that there would be a dog but he was harmless. TO WHO? I didn't know if we were going to make it out of the home, never again. As said, just because the dog is freindly to those you know, doesn't mean he will be friendly to those you don't know.

I agree with all of the above and add that I tell my sellers that their dog is just doing his/her job and that is protecting the home so it is wise to give the dog a day off for showings and remove them from the house.

Regarding cats- those "budda boxes" that are covered with the filter are really amazing, the charcoal filter works for 30 days but on day 31 you better change it fast. I always suggest those to cat owners and darn near insist on them. No one should need to see cat doo when visiting a house.

On the flip side, SOMETIMES a pet in the house can be a good ice breaker (friendly pet). Some people love cats or dogs and if they see one they just melt. It can open the door to a conversation and perhaps make the visit more memorable in their mind. And ... maybe they will stay longer and fall in love with the house. Just a thought.

I agree in theory that pets should not be there.

However, what advice do you give the seller who works all day, and does not have any neighbors willing or able to pet sit?

And when taking the pet to the kennel for boarding each day would be impractical, or maybe impossible due to the work schedule.

May I add to leave traces of a pet out of the photos? Some agents put photos in MLS that show cat food dishes on the floor in the kitchen or a dog on the bed, announcing to the world that pets live in that house. Personally, if you have cats, it's not always a good idea to buy a home where another cat had lived. If that former resident cat marked the territory anywhere, you might have nothing but problems with your own cats. I made sure that no cats lived in my home before we bought it. Well, at least for the last 10 years.

Gee wondering if we've worked out the details on our Open House tomorrow. I love her dog but it is his house, we have worked with him on letting me in the house. I am hoping he is in the yard next door or two doors up for the duration.

I'd Re-Blog you but I would hate to have my client see it and be offended.

We have pet day cares here. hmmmm

As realtors, we've all experienced the disastrous effects of pet odors, unfriendly pets, allergies etc.

It amazes me that we have to hammer this point home with so many sellers. I had a listing where the owner had 4 huge chows. Not friendly. She refused to allow me to put the lockbox on her house because she had to be there to take the dogs into the backyard during showings. WHAAAAT? I should have RUN, RUN. RUN from that listing.

She couldn't take the pets on walks during showings because she couldn't control them all at the same time. She will NEVER sell her house with these dogs in it. I feel sorry for her.

Add to that the pet that escapes so you have to run after them to get them back in. Especially nice if there was no note in the MLS about pets being home alone (and loose). Or the pet that get into the house and you have to chase them to get them back into the garage. Then there are the lizards, mice, rats, snakes, and tarantulas that just give prospective buyers the creeps!

Great post Randy!

Randy, pets should always be removed for showings. The rest of the family isn't there, why are they? (And I have three dogs, I am a big pet person.)

Good post because it can be used by other agents to "talk" to thier clients. I'm trying to draft a cheery email to two seller and sending this.

We have two dogs and four cats. Personally and as a buyer, I wouldn't mind other people's pets because I can imagine what the home would be like if the seller's pet were replaced with mine and it wouldn't keep me from buying. On the other hand, as a Realtor, I know that not every buyer feels that way and pet odors, pet allergies can definetely kill a deal - so, remove the pets if you expect a sale.

Amazing to me that agents don't discuss pet issues with their clients and even more amazing that sellers will ignore the advice professionals give them concerning their "family" members. Let's get it sold! Have a Great Week!

Randy - Very well put. Sellers don't realize that when "selling" your home you should make it inviting for everyone. Otherwise it will sit on the market for a longer time.

I have pets but, as an inspector, I know that what you say is true. Pets certainly do not enhance the chances of a sale.

In Oklahoma with our representation laws you have vicarious liability, so if a pet is aggressive and bites you get to stand along side of the owner for damages.

Richard made a great point! Not only is it not good for buyers/showings...it's not good for your pet to be so stressed out.

I've walk through open houses where the poor dog was in a cage or locked in the garage barking because all these strangers were walking around.

If you want to convince selllers with pets to remove them during showings, that's the point to make. I know myself I wouldn't knowingly hurt my pets.

Oh, I thought you were doing US Census work for a minute. Good post.

Richard, Randy, (sorry about that, I am watching 2 grandsons today) I have written about this, I am very pet pro-active and pet friendly. I agree with all the things listed above, pet smells are a bad thing, dogs left alone in a home during showings is a detriment if not a danger. I was even bit by a cat one time!

However much people who don't have pets don't understand the following statement, I will stand behind it. Pets may not be people, but they are family members. Sellers shouldn't be home during showings and that includes the rest of their "family".

There are times when it has been impossible to do something with the dog for showings. I had a client who had 6 dogs, some very disabled. I had to attend each and every showing, get there early, put the bigger dogs in the pen, take the disabled ones out to do their business, and then sit outside with them. I sprayed and cleaned up, sprayed air freshener if needed. I spent a long time getting to know the dogs so that I could enter the house. There was no other way, none at all.

If there were issues with the dog biting me we would have put our heads together and come up with an alternative. Hey, if grandma is home all day by herself and may cause a problem with potential buyers, I would go and sit with her too. It can happen you know.

The one thing we must all remember is, as I said, they may not be human but they are family members to many many people.

Great post Randy;

I agree, pets do not help with the selling features. Even on listing appointments, you would think that some homeowners would put their dogs up. I remember going on a listing appointment and I thought I was walking into a zoo and/or Noah Arks. The homeowners had about 3 big danes, 2 cats, 2 exoctic birds, and 2 large snacks. Upon our dicussion of showings and open houses, they refused to put their pets up, so needless to say, I walked away from this listing, come to find I was about the 4th agent who has walked away from this listing and they're now selling their home FSBO. I would think they would get the hint....

Some people are afraid of animals. Some people are alergic to them. Some people have a hypersensitive sense of smell and are put off by them for that reason. Some "nice" dogs bite. Images of animals in crates make some people sad.

The list goes on. Most of the time, animals in a house for sale are a bad idea.

Just two words:

1. Allergies
2. Mine!

That is all I have to say about that.

Randy - I have clients who have literally turned and walked away before I could get the key out of the lockbox because they heard a large dog barking on the other side of the door. On the flip side, I've had a buyer's two-year-old hurt an elderly dog during a showing because she had never been around one and didn't know how to play with it safely. The entire showing was spent telling the screaming child she couldn't play with the dog anymore. Made for a terrible showing. It's not good for anyone involved, including the pet!

Selling a home is stressful and hard work for the home seller. Only single people or couples should be allowed to move. Then each household member can concentrate on keeping the sale property in a condition that satisfies his Realtor's demands and attracts that oh-so-fussy home shopper. Living with pets or children creates dirt, smells and clutters the space with unflattering "stuff". Realtors should not accept listings for home sellers who are unwilling to board their pets and children and sell all their "stuff".

Pul-eeze, do you seriously have that many home sellers who are able to remove their pets during showings but leave their pets behind while vacating the home themselves? I suspect that most of the time when pets are in the home for showings, that showing is during the daytime when the home seller is at work. What exactly do you expect the owner to do?

This is your JOB. You are dealing with people who live in the product you are trying to sell. Stop complaining and figure out a way to compromise.

Them's fightin' words Randy!

But ..... totally understandable. The Blog Dog went with me when we had showings of our house recently. As you say, not everyone is happy about your pet. You didn't mention pet tarantulas? Had one in a coffee table 'house' in one of my listings once. Not good.

Hi Randy ~ I'd actually go the other direction and say pets are people. And since sellers are removing themselves from the property they should also remove the extensions of themselves, (ie their pets). If it's a work day it's not always feasible to take the dog for a walk, so caged dogs in the garage are okay. Other than that pets are like kids at a showing, they're just plain distracting.

Denise

Randy.. You make some very good points. One that seems to always come up is when a potential buyer does not have pets. They love the home, but the CAT smell and the kitty litter boxes have turned them off. In some cases pets DON'T help sell the home, but cause it to stay on the market longer.

Hey Randy -- Solid advice. I have almost been neutered by a German Shepard who tried to come barreling through a garage door one time, had a dog attach my shoe (luckily I had them on), stepped in dog poop more times than I can count, been overwhelmed to the point of minor nausea for cat litter boxes, etc. And, I have 2 dogs and am a huge dog lover. I am hard on sellers about their pets. If a smell exists (or any smell for that matter), why lose a potential buyer -- as buyers are certainly not growing on trees in abundance these days.

Randy: All real estate questions aside... you are correct... pets are NOT people. They are MORE than people. Pets are a source of unquestioning love and acceptance. Not many people qualify for that category.

I couldn't agree more!! Take the pets (and I am an animal lover) out of the house when showing it. The people viewing the home may be alergic, or not like animails so get them out!!

Patricia

Good information, as a recent seller myself pets are in inconvenience during the showings and should be removed.

I have 3 children ... eh, pets. 2 cats. 1 large dog. I love them, but when my home was on the market I was frantic. Cats are inside animals. One is a frady cat and hides well, the other is 19 and just sleeps. The dog is loveable to everyone. A collie, she wants to love, play, and herd.

Why is that important? I clean my kitty litter twice a day and recognize those smells can be lethal. I even left signs so when people got near my (hopefully) clean litter box, they had fair warning in case there was a gift waiting for me.

I gave good instructions for agents to give me enough notice so I could get the dog out of the house. In spite of me trying to help the buyer agent with the animal situation, I had 2 agents go in with no appointment, no notice. Go figure.

All true. It is also true that in my area we have several subdivisions with pet restrictions. Some banning them altogether (except for those that are assistance animals with doctors letters). But it amazes me when we clearly tell potential buyers that there are pet restrictions and that this or that pet will not be allowed, they still insist on buying and then fight to get their pets into parks. Needless-to-say, they (both humans and pets) will not be happily received.

This is also a caveat for agents. If you make it a habit of going outside your normal areas of operation, be sure that you know what the rules and regulations are for each subdivision in which you are showing homes. Obviously this can be difficult at times since each is unique. Sometimes it may be better to refer your buyer to an agent who is more familiar with the restrictions in a specific area.

Personally I think that all subdivisions should have reasonable pet restrictions. There are many people out there that are alone and a pet can be a great companion and improve a person's quality of life. However, if the rules say no, then the rules says "NO". If you have a legitimate claim for needing an assistance animal, go that route. But if not, do not expect to be accepted with open arms when you immediately move into a NO PETS subdivision with your cocker spaniel or housecat.

Know the rules before you move in. They can restrict the size of pet, number of pets, type of pets, breed of dog, etc. Be an informed consumer to avoid hassles and heartbreak down the road.

Randy, I couldn't agree more. Even if pets were people you wouldn't want them at the showing. I have had clients that have allergies to some pets. Here is a simple equation for sellers:

Possible buyer w/ allergy to cats+CATS= allergic reaction.

This will result in a bad experience at the home in which the buyer will correlate with the home and that means your(seller) home is off the list that the buyer is interested in.

Randy, I totally agree with your statement and reasoning. However, I have shown homes on a very short notice while the owners are at work and do not have a chance to take the pets with them.

Randy I agree. Pets should be out of the house before a showing. However I'm not sure the not people thing!! You might be right about that because pet love you no matter WHAT!

Pets in a home are a turnoff to buyers.

The smell of smoke in a home is a turnoff to buyers.

But Pets Smoking is the ultimate in wrong.

Just sayin. :)

Randy ~ this is such an important post. It seems like everyone has their own ideas on how to handle pets in a showing so what a great listing packet idea to create a flyer or post for a seller with cute pictures sending the message you want to send to the seller about showing their home and the animals.

I liked Andrea's comment #32 "However much people who don't have pets don't understand the following statement, I will stand behind it. Pets may not be people, but they are family members. Sellers shouldn't be home during showings and that includes the rest of their "family"."

Taking that concept and using your own words to make a point really shows respect for the family that does treat it's animals as a member.

Each professional has their own opinions on how to handle this so creating listing content that reflects the agents marketing suggestions could be very beneficial at the listing appointment.

Loved #11 from J. Phillip as a picture does speak a thousand words!

Good advice. It is best to take pets out of home whenever possible.

Agreed and well said and this comes from a huge dog lover.

Agree Randy, but I had to hide this post from my dog who would be offended ;-)

For that matter, take the sellers and all other PEOPLE out of the house, in addition to the pets!

I think it is important to alert agents/buyers of the animal living in the house. Please don't take pet allergies lightly. In the remarks, you might want to state: Don't let the dog/ferret/cat/monkey or whatever out!

Margaret

Agreed! I have to say, I love the dog photo. I'm with Lenn on the dog poop in the back yard issue. So many people forget about this.

Randy ... so cool to put a house in the middle between the two pets. It took me a minute to focus on the house and almost missed it!!!

That said, a favorite listing of mine (I won't tell you which one) had rabbits running wild through the house. No I can stomach dogs and cats and birds and snakes, but, unrestrained pets is almost more than I can bear.

Just the other day, without any notice from our showing service, I showed a condo only to find a dog (friendly I supposed) locked outside on the balcony. Now I opened the door to the balcony without realizing what would be on the other side and was surprised. At least there was a screened door between me and the buyer. I certainly would have appreciated knowing in advance that there was a dog home and that it would be on the balcony ... so open door carefully or not at all.

My favorite is the "vicious dog in garage - do not enter" sign I encounter at one property. Ok, no problem, we'll just have to see the garage another day.

I know we can all go on and on and on about encounters with pets. Bottom line, don't leave pets homes when showing property!!!

Oooh, you hit something here for sure! I can't stand it when I see a litter box either in the kitchen or in the bathroom. Some people just don't get it.

I don't know how many times a dog has bitten me, to hear he's never done that before.

Great post, Randy! My worst showing was a home that had not one, not two, but five pit bulls! Three were crated for the showing, but two were "fenced" in a portion of the back yard. The problem for me was the fence was only about 3-ft tall. I was terrified the whole time. We didn't stay long and my buyers purchased a different home.

I love all 5 of my animals that live IN my house. I am also well aware that I will need to move before I put my house on the market. And install new carpet (except in the rooms where the cats are not allowed to go) ie my guest bedroom to keep the fur out so guests don't have to deal with pet fur.

Great post, Randy. Except when I was a very small child, I've never been afraid of dogs. And it's a good thing. I've been nearly knocked over by a huge pitbull who charged at me from across a yard, jumped up on me and licked my face. He was just being friendly, but if I had been afraid, I would have been in trouble. That was during a preview. Imagine if my client had been with me! Just one of many stories of animals not mixing very well with real estate.

Back in 1999, my parents put their house on the market on a Friday, left town to find a new house, and asked me to pick up the dog. I went over the next morning, bright and early at 10am, and there were people at the house. The dog was entertaining them, and they thought it was so cute. I was so embarressed for not knowing to get there earlier... those people submitted an offer and bought the house!!

I'm not saying cute pets can sell houses, but it made these people feel at home and be able to imagine themselves with their own dog in the house. You win some, you lose some, but overall, I ask people to remove their pets.

I so agree with you, I can't understand why they can't smell their pet odor. It kills a sale.

Hi Randy, Had a showing during which a trained attack dog bit the wife twice and the husband once before we escaped. Explained to the listing agent that the couple could take us to court and own the home plus both of our offices if they wanted !

Randy-well said! Your post is direct and to the point. As someone who today had to drive to a seller's multifamily because there was an appointment and the agent couldn't get in, I could not believe that when I got there and knocked and knocked (the landlord had confirmed the appointment twice) and was finally let in I was knocked into the wall TWICE by a huge pit bull. I calmly (I was quite proud of myself) told the young woman to get the darn dog out of the house before the next appointment showed up and either scared them to death, jumped on them or distracted them from looking at the house. What is WRONG with people?

The 3 photos side by side with the focus going to the pets and not the house is a classic. One that needs to be featured over and over. Robert Earl

Can we shout this from the housetops? If agents refused to show homes because of the presence of pets then maybe just maybe sellers would catch on. I had a seller so engrossed with cat that the conversation would have to stop to watch or admire the cat.

Yes...our animal friends are a challenge but it's too late, your title has already offended at least 90% of the pet owners who read this, I am just glad you posted this and not me ;-)

I almost lost a deal last summer when one of my sellers cats attacked the buyer and her agent. Please please take your pets with you!

Randy, Your last line really says it all. My eyes were immediately drawn to the pictures of both pets and I didn't notice the house until you mentioned it. Nice job.

Randy, I, myself am a dog lover. I have two of my own but my thoughts on dogs, cats or pot belly pigs being in the house is my same take on the sellers being there - they shouldn't! Sellers should take their pets with them when they leave for a showing. I do not want to be responsible for someone else's pets during a showing nor do I even like when I see pet instructions on the listing sheet. I'm ok if its says, call owner to schedule so dog can be removed from home prior to showing, but instructions that say loose rottweiler named kujo in basement do NOT let him upstairs!

Randy ~ Wouldn't it be great if sellers kept their houses picked up, garages clean, lawns mowed and pets out of the way when their homes are listed and buyers are looking at it? Unfortunately, most sellers have a hard time doing all the things that need to be done each day before they leave the house for work, just in case there is a showing.

I always leave comments about pets in at the showing desk and try to give my sellers with pets enough time to try to have their pets out of the house when they have showings. Some sellers will have the pets gone, others try to keep them outside. But if they have to work, the pets are part up the showing. What can you do!

I don't have children, I have dogs, but; if I did have children, I wouldn't leave them at home alone while some strangers walk through my house and poke around a bit.

Even animails that "love people" are upset by absolute strangers on their turf when their pack leaders are out. In the worst cases they may try to defend that turf on behalf of the pack leaders. So maybe try that angle with your sellers, it's for the good of your property sale, but it's also for the good of your pet to take him/her/them with you when you vacate for a showing.

Randy,

Much as we love our Sophie...I've told my parents, "IF we ever get ready to sell our home, the granddog will be living with you for a while!!" She is sweet and fun, but after a good romp outside in the summer...whew, does she smell like a dog!!" Not to mention the hassle of taking her out of the house with a showing. :)

Points well taken. :)

You make a lot of good points. Spoken by a HUGE Golden Retriever lover in Southern Maryland!

Yep, I got bit by a dog in a home I was showing last year. The owner told me that the dog woudn't hurt a fly when I spoke to him before the showing. Luckily I have quick hands so I didn't incur too bad of an injury, he just nipped me. But needless to say, my buyer's did not want to see that home. And yes, the smell of cat urine or any other pet smell does make a lasting impression with people. Good post and best of luck to you Randy.

I totally agree more than 1000%. If pets are friendly and in the house, letting their name know to the selling agents helps. But its best not to keep them in the house at the time of showing. Never know when the friendly pets become unfriendly with strangers. Thanks for sharing.

Randy - Years ago I was showing a gorgeous home, the seller was home and so were the dogs. Instead of taking the dogs for a walk the seller let them follow us around, which turned my clients off and the minute the dog lifted it's leg to mark the wall we left. If the dogs weren't there my clients my have written an offer, but seeing the dog mark something made them wonder if he marked the entire house.

As a listing agent YOU need to address this problem and agree with the solution BEFORE taking the listing. As a buyer's agent, you need to be brutally honest when a buyer refuses to look at a property due to pets.

If as a listing agent there is a problem, use the special remarks section of the MLS printout to inform the buyers agent of the problem so they can make decisions also.

Randy: It is certainly very tough to show a home when the dog is barking outside or appears aggressive.

What?!!

How dare you!!

On behalf of my pets, I am officially offended.

Kidding.....

I agree that pets should be removed during showings, but I do not agree that all animals cause an odor in a home. I guess we've had different experiences. Large wet dogs do tend to smell and it can cost an owner thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands in a resale.

As pet owners, we can become used to our pets odors. That we need to be honest and careful about when showing our homes to others.

Brave

I have to agree. I love my dog, but I certainly wouldn't consider her an asset to selling a house. I thinking if you explain this to your sellers they will understand.

Walked in and then immediately out of a house today. The stench was overwhelming and I counted three cats in just those three seconds!

I LOVE animals and I like to see them when I am showing a house but I totally understand that not eveyone feels the same as I do. Also, it's pretty bad when the owners do not clean up after their animals.

Randy, the last showing instructions noted "small, friendly dog." It was an ancient poodle who was terrified of us and cowered in the closet growling and whining. Did NOT make a nice showing, and we all were pretty irritated that the owner would subject this poor dog to all this stress.

I've considered carrying dog spray/mace for when there's "harmless" animals in the house. How about opening a bedroom door and a cat bolts out, scaring the crap out of everyone? Kinda shows the house in a negative light.

Good post and comments - I found the 'perfect' home for a buyer recently, the sellers put their 2 little dogs in the backyard when they left for work in the morning, I agreed to let them back in after my 9:00 am showing. When I opened the front door for my buyers, they could see the 2 little dogs in the backyard through the back sliding door - the wife was terrified of dogs and would not even enter the house - I had no idea that she was afraid of dogs - she had been bitten as a child.

She was mad at me for 'putting her in danger' - and bought a $400K house from another agent a week later.

I guess my qualifying skills were lacking.

What about homes that appear to have no pets, but do? And after the buyers move in, the smells come back, maybe after a carpet cleaning?

Should pets in the home be on the Seller's Disclosure of defects in the home? Maybe we should have just one more disclosure - pet disclosure?

(I am a cat and dog lover, but to me - birds are disgusting :)

Hi Randy,

As many of the agents here know - I have three large dogs who are BETTER than most people I know in terms or warmth, affection, loyalty and sometimes street smarts. I dread the day when I might decide to sell my home, becuase I KNOW I'm going to have to board the dogs days on end. I love my dogs and would never be turned off by a home that had pets. But, that's the exception, not the rule.

To the member of the public:

We are DOING OUR JOB by pointing this issue out to our sellers. If we ignorned the issue then we wouldn't be doing our job. Our job is show the seller how to present the property to the legitimate buyers in its best possible light. That means painting, primping, scrubbing, cleaning, rearranging furniture, controlling clutter - and controlling pets and pet hair and pet odor. You can not live normally while selling a home. Sorry, but that is the sad truth. While selling a home, you are in a fish bowl. Everyone can see in and if they are buyers, you want them to like what they see. Right now I'm sitting at my home office desk with a pile of clutter around me. Two of my three dogs are piled at my feet. The only reason that's OK is because I don't happen to be selling my home at this time. If I were, I would be doing everything I ask my seller's to do.

Buyers need to see THEMSLEVES in the space and the former owners pets are not part of that equation. If seller's can't or won't cooperate with what we feel needs to be done, they have to realize that the price they will be able to command may be well below market value...and that there is a good chance the home won't sell at all.

Whoa Randy! You had me upset for a minute there. My cats are indeed people. But then when I read your post, I changed my opinion of you. ;)

Pets and tiny kids in dirty diapers are not helpful to a sale. I always ask my sellers to remove both pets and babies from showings, and clean up as much as possible after both.

I walked into a house once to preview it for my buyers and the urine burned my nose and eyes so bad that I was forced to run quickly through the house, trying to see if it would be worth showing anyway.

They had no pets, but they had an open hamper full of dirty cloth diapers and the crib had been soaked and not changed. I have no idea what those sellers were thinking, and why their agent hadn't clued them in. I advised my buyers that they probably wouldn't want to see that house after all.

good way to get everyone's attention ,, ;-)

From a staging point of view...I say Bravo and tip my hat to you! Excellent post! I tell my clients that all pets and all evidence of pets needs to be removed for showings. For your house to be at it's best showable condition remove the pets.

Ruthmarie: Awesome response to the "member of the public" comment!

There is a strange thing that happens between pet owners and their pets. The owner would not leave their toilet unflushed, but they will leave the pet poop in the house for buyers to see and smell. They will tell you that their pets are part of the family, but they would not do that it were true. (or at least I should hope not). Pet hair in itself is a deterrant to me when showing a home. I hava fondness for black slacks. UGH!

My clients and I recently had to step over dog poo in an otherwise clean house to get up the stairs. They only referred to that house thereafter as the poop house, and their little girl still says 'poop' every time we head up stairs in a home for sale.

You are right Randy! I do have a dog myself but I was seller, I most certainly do whatever it takes to make the move. There is this thing about some sellers that when a realtor is showing the property, they just follow you all through out the showing with their animal if they have any. In future, you might want to explain the showing to the seller prior to showing that you will need them take a walk around with their pet while you are. Pet lovers tend to forget that not everyone like pet.

This can be a problem for all of us but afterall the home has been and is being lived in. The sellers have to be educated and work WITH their agent to accomplish the task at hand which is selling the property. In a perfect world all buyers would pay cash and the home would be perfect.

It's an imperfect world filled with imperfect people and that includes our clients and buyers.

Thanks for all...well most of your comments. I truly apologize if I offended anyone. The heading was supposed to get your attention not annoy anyone. The main point is at a showing the ONLY opinion that counts is the buyer. If their opinion is bad...no sale. I love pets and realize there are exceptions to every rule and sometimes it is a must, but I also felt the need to make sellers aware of the issue. If nothing else this post has made a few people think and if you read the number of agents with similar issues you can see pets at least need to be addressed.

To #37 "Member of the Public", I am fully aware of what my job entails and providing a safe environment for would be buyers is, in my opinion, part of that job. Full disclosure of anything that would effect the sale of a property is also part of my job. It is never easy telling someone they should pick up the clutter or change out the litter box but that too, is my job. If I offended you I am sorry but did you notice the 100 or so agents that have dealt with similar situations and how most of those situations ended? In a market where you may only get one chance I would think something as easy as cleaning house should be a priority and that is not part of my job. Thanks for your thoughts.

I hear you! I hear you! Your best point, and one I am going to use, is that if house hunters are looking at your pets, they aren't looking at your house. Amen.

Andif they are trying to avoid the jumping dog and the sniffing dog, then they are more likely to run.

Randy - I could not agree more. It's tough to sell any home with pet odors, loose pets, etc. Enough said -

We have pets, we only sell our homes when they are VACANT. And they sell fast...

Wow, great post. Pets get stressed by strangers coming in and should be taken out during showings.

Thanks Randy, great post, I love pets, I don't own any pets. My buyers do not like to smell the sellers pets. If you are selling your home please put away the pets.

It isn't about whether pets are people... the same holds true for Grandma and Baby Maggie. They may make offensive smells, and they may take attention away from the home...

Randy:

I love pets. In fact, some of my pets I like more than some of the people I know. That being said, I don't think you should leave people behind at a showing -- so certainly don't leave pets around, either. Sheesh!

Randy, You have really stirred the pot. I agree with all your points except the part about pets not being people. That will not fly in my house with my wife.

I know a lot of people who love their pets more than humans. They should have the showing service tell them there is an art festival at the time of their showing. I have yet to see a dog owner who knows how to keep their pets at home at an art show or farmers market.

Randy, couldnpt agree iwth you more. I've had clients terrified of pets and wouldn't walk into a house for a showing if they knew there was a pet present. Whether you love them or not, when you're showing houses you want to concentrate on the house and not worrying about tripping over the pets.

I totally loked a tthe two pics of the animals before I even realized there was a picture of a hosue in the middle- and I like to think that I am VERY interested in houses! ANd I am not an "animal" perosn. I don't mind them but i will never have one either...

Some favorite clients of mine breed Dobies. We sold their house 10% below market in a hot market. That was why.

My dog is my most prized possession and she is more like a kid than a pet to us. But our house is not for sale.

If it was, we'd be moved into a rental so the house could be shown without people who are allergic, sensitive, scared or put off by animals being . . . scared or put off.

Period, exclamation point.

Leave the pets to facebook or flickr if you must, not a showing. You have no argument here.

I love cats. My husband loves dogs. So I wouldn't say we're against pets and we do try to be sensitive to sellers and their pets. However, when it is affecting their ability to sell and the safety of the buyers and their agents, and our own safety, there's a problem!

While I have yet to be bitten, I am pretty sure I will be someday. I have definitely had plenty of growling "friendly" dogs defending their turf and more than one house chosen not to be entered due to the massive dog baring teeth at us through the front window. And I've had at least one scrambling run for cover when a neighbor's pit bull jumped a fence.

I've also had the showings skipped as soon as a cat is noticed due to allergies. I've had a buyer have a reaction and have to break out their inhaler after a home with multiple cats. My own husband is allergic to cats and had reactions when he showed homes. And my team leader has been hospitalized due to her severe allergies after showing homes.

It's no joke! And the one agent who commented about maybe being sued after his couple was bitten is right - we have to protect our clients or we could be at fault.

And that's all aside from the smells, stains, etc.

MAY

2010

Great post Randy. I give my sellers the same advice. When we moved two years ago, it took six months to sell our house, and my poor wife had to take the two dogs with her everytime the house was shown. She also gathered up all their toys and dishes and took those with her as well.

Having pets at home during showings can be difficult. Many great coments above

Randy,

I can agree with your post more. I recently had a home for sale that had a horrible pet odor. I couldn't get this across to the owners enough. Showing after showing, the only feedback I recieved was HORRIBLE CAT ODOR. Some didn't even make it past the door before walking out. After being frustrated I finally sat down with the homeowner and said look - That cat of yours is a $25,000 cat. That opened her eyes. That weekend she removed the cat from the house and had the floors sealed and new carpet put in (the only way to get rid of horrible cat pee smell) and the following week the first showing showing it was sold. Full Price Offer.

Thanks for the post!

Tom

Hey how about the buyers who bring thier PET with them to look at properties???

I love my dog and enjoy pets. However, I agree that they do not help sell houses and many have odors of which the owenrs are no longer aware.

I know people who would sware that their dogs are people. That's great since I don't want any people who are owners or living in the property when I'm there trying to get it sold. Go easy on pet owners...just ask to have them join them during showings...that mean everyone out!!!

reminds me of a time when we had an indoor cat, no claws. Our house was on the market and we just figured that she would stay out of the way. Turns out that she stood on the stairs and hissed and growled - people were afraid to go upstairs.

Our Realtor had to call us and ask us to lock her up. She was known as the attack cat for the rest of her life. Too funny. Oddly, those are the people who bought the house. We figured she made it memorable!

Randy,

This was a Dog-Gone good post! This could become a pet project. I cat tell you how much I enjoyed reading it..

Seller must understand that everyone may not feel the way they do about their pets and they are trying to sell their home, right?

I totally agree with your post - however there are a few excpetions... I had a client (Yes this is really true) that actually wanted the dog included in the contract????? When people want an all inclusive deal sometimes they go a little to far!

And some people are afraid of dogs. Great advice and reminder!

Couln't agree more. I love pets. Have 2 doggies of my own. One a beagle who barks her Damn head off at everyone, and a Rottweiler who never barks but everyone is afraid of. They live in my house, I don't think they stink...AND I AM NOT SELLING MY HOUSE.

If you have pets and you want to sell, THEY GOTTA GO!

My gosh! Love that picture of the Jack Russell! What a classic!

My biggest issue is with the smell. Dogs smell, whether people want to admit it or not. Someone who does not have inside pets will almost always pick up on the odor.

Primarily a dog-friendly buyers agent, I am happy to see dogs and cats during a showing appointment. Why? For the same reason that I love to see clutter and obnoxious decorating quirks. It lowers the attractiveness of the home to most buyers and allows my clients to make a lower offer, an offer that has a much better chance at being accepted.

It is so true. I was showing a property yesterday. As the sellers left (with their dog). we entered the property and 25 seconds later, my client stormed out and vomited!!!! The odor was really intense and the worst part was that there was a scented candle burning and that mixture was a killer!!!!

The sad part is that the house was really nice, nicely decorated and clean!!!!! ...but the smell....

Now, I can understand that some people are not that sensitive, but unfortunately my client had really unpleasant experience.

I guess I will add little bags to my purse - next to my desinfecting wipes, for the future use.

We need sellers with pets to start reading this true stories!!!!

Randy - I'm a pet lover; but agree with you 100% about marketing property while they are present. I've had some comical experiences showing property where animals are concerned, and I've had some NOT so comical experiences.

I will never forget one memorable home viewing. There was a note on the dining room table to leave the dog in a particular bedroom. Unfortunately, we opened that bedroom door BEFORE reading the note. The dog, a smallish shorthaired terrier mix of some sort, with a mouth full of teeth, got out. I thought fine, I'll just return it to the room when we are finished viewing, even though it is nipping at our heals and barking non-stop.

When I reached down and picked up the dog, it got really nervous, and instantly turned my clothing VERY smelly brown.

Oh yes, imagine trying to put clients back into your car, when you are smelling like that. We cancelled the remaining showings until another day.

Would you believe that my buyers actually ended up buying that house. The sellers were so apologetic, I'm sure it was worth about $2,500 off the selling price:-)

There's nothing more inviting than to open the door to that spring fresh smell of urine in a totally closed up, 75+ degree house. Great posting Randy!

@Barbara . . . (giggle) I had a listing once, the ONLY exception to this rule ever - perfectly kept and decorated, scratchproof hardwood flooring and the most exquisite miniature collie, "Annie" - will never forget - on 2 writes, the prospect wanted her included! Seriously. She did not convey but the house did sell for FP in a 'buyer's market' but only because the house was PERFECT in every way . . . that again is the rare and unusual exception.

Randy - great post. We stagers also recommend that people remove all traces of pets for showings. I've seen pet food in bowls on the table and cat boxes in the kitchen, etc., etc.

I was recently in a home where the poor agent was trying to sell the house with a gigantic bird and cage in the living room, cats everywhere and a locked room for the other pets. The owner loves pets and could care less if people are bothered by them. They are her family and she would not remove them for showings. Obviously that property is waiting for the "one right buyer" to come along.

I would add one other thing about pets. Pictures of the property posted online and in MLS probably shouldn't have photos with the family pets showing in them. People with pet allergies and other "pet issues" won't even bother going to view the home.

Randy,

Agree with you about removing pets. I went on a listing appointment with another realtor and he was pecked by a Rooster. But then again, a squirrel just about landed on this same realtor while looking at a different property.

Randy, As much as I love my weiner dog, I agree with you about removing the animals. It's bad enough having to put up with the dog or cat (or even Birds, I think they are near the top of this list) How about the seller that says," I put the dog (Pit bull) in the upstairs bedroom, so don't show that room even though he wouldn't hurt a flea. Have you ever heard the sound of a Pit bull trying to chew his way through the wall to get on what's on the other side? Oh yeah, that's me and my buyer. I rest my case. My buyer was eager to leave the property.

MAY

2010

I recently went to a broker open where the dogs were put i the garage, but no one was told. One of the Realtors innocently opened the door to the garage and in ran 4 big dogs and one little one, leaping on us and racing around the house all excited. The little one was piddling all over the place in her excitement.

It was really hard to round them all up and get them back in the garage, and the listing agent mopped up all the puddles, but we all felt like we needed a bath ofter being jumped on and licked and surrounded by pee. Folks, if you are going to lock the critters in the the garage during showings, please put a note on the door to warn us!

MAY

2010

At an open house, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies have a finer aroma than kitty litter.

JUN

2010

Both cats and dogs can frighten people. I have had both situations where a potential buyer was terrifed of a cat . . . he seemed harmless to me. And this past weekend, a four pound dog was growling and that was enough for us to walk out the door!

Randy,

thanks for the post! You stirred up the pot, and it's great :)

I have a cat now, had a dog as a child, was doing pet sitting as teenager, I'm not afraid of dogs, but will I enter a house with a loose dog, barking at us from the window? I don't think so.

I like what Virginia said :

"Should pets in the home be on the Seller's Disclosure of defects in the home? Maybe we should have just one more disclosure - pet disclosure? "

Of course! Some people have severe allergies. And its' even worse if you are constantly exposed to something, that was in contact with pets, even if the pet is no longer there. If you buy a T-shirt off ebay, sellers have to disclose whether there are pets in their house or not, even if these pets are not allowed in the ebay merchandize storage. Buyers can complain and even return stuff if they found 1 pet hair on something they bought. It's a t-shirt for x sake. Here people are buying a HOUSE!

There should be instructions. Maybe buyers would want to see a home where pets lived, but would need preventative measures, ie taking medication beforehand. Maybe they will refuse to visit a house where a pet lived, that will save everybody's time. And buyers agents will appreciate special instructions. Heck, agents have allergies too, don't they need a hint to take their claritin in advance?

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Randy Ostrander-Real Estate Broker, Serving Big Rapids and West Central MI

Big Rapids, MI

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Lake and Lodge Realty LLC

Address: 107 N. Michigan Suite B, Big Rapids, MI, 49307

Office Phone: (231) 796-5253

Cell Phone: (231) 250-9802

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