Pets can be an irritation (for buyers who don’t have pets), or just a distraction (for buyers who love pets).
Recently our buyers did a home inspection and we were told that the sellers' family dog would be there and to not let her out.
I got to the house before the buyers and looked all around for the pup. She was nowhere to be seen. There was no barking either when we entered the house. I thought for sure that the sellers had taken her with them at the last minute.
The inspector arrived and did a lot of preliminary looking around and collecting of basic information, and he still did not see or hear her.
Finally, he came to me and said he had found her. She was behind one of the adult beds in her own little bed, not making a sound. She was a very extraordinary pet. I have never seen a quieter one!
We have had the following, slightly different, experiences with well-loved pets in a home 'for sale:'
- One barked continually the whole time the inspector was there (at least 2 hours—nothing would comfort the pup).
- Two very ‘protective' dogs had to be contained in an outside building, and this was super inconvenient for the seller to leave work to make sure they were contained.
- One feral cat was taken in by a seller. Cat did not want to be inside and sprayed everywhere. Appraiser stipulated that flooring had to be replaced before closing because the smell was so bad, even after cleaning. It was a ‘quality of life’ issue.
Just like adjusting other things in day to day living in order to sell, pets’ well-being is another important thing to consider.
You can click here for more tips from Realtor.com on selling while living with pets.
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