Preparing Fido For Showings? Or Not?
Articles abound about how to stage a home or how to develop curb appeal. We know how to prepare our homes for sale, don't we? We make the beds and plant pretty flowers in the front yard.
Done!
But, how many listings give us detailed information about how to treat their animals? "Don't let the cats out" or "Big, friendly, family Doberman inside home" or " watch out for the cobra who is left loose"....alright, I made that last one up, but you get the point. Sellers....you are trying to sell your home. If your "friendly" dog looks funny at us, we are going to leave.
You might see you sweet family pet as this:
But your buyers might see something more like this:
It might not be fair....but it's true. Frankly, you are offering a product to a consumer who has options, I think it's time you get your mind around this fact and go out of your way to appeal to these buyers. YOU are the ones to be inconvenienced, not the buyers. Think about this. What if the dog nips at the buyer or their child? ....and then there is a trip to the ER....what would your insurance company think about it? Sellers need to understand the seriousness of offering a home for showings.
I believe strongly that it's the listing agent's responsibility to ensure that the home is safe for showings.One thing they can do is to make sure that unsupervised animals are not present. If you are sure they are "friendly" then meet us, and walk the friendly dog down the street while we view the home.
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