Pets are family. Ask anyone who has one. For this reason, you'll add tremendous value to any home search you conduct when you stay informed and mindful of a few simple things on behalf of your clients with pets.
Familiarize yourself with local ordinances.
Every city has municipal codes that reference animals within their city limits. License tag
requirements, rabies vaccination stipulations, leash laws, and restrictions on the types of
animals allowed or the number of animals in a single dwelling — these are all the types of
rulings that are in place for the sanitation, health, and safety of a community. Most city (or
county) web sites have their specific ordinances listed with their Animal Control Services so
acquainting yourself with local pet ownership laws is as easy as a few clicks.
Know the HOA rules.
The best option for clients who have pets is, more often than not, a single-family home
because it offers the most freedom. However there are, on occasion, single-family home
communities with a Homeowners Association (HOA). And if your client is looking at a
townhome or a condominium, then you can be assured of HOA or townhome or condo board
rules about pets.
Providing your client with a list of HOAs in your market that allows pets is the first valued
step. The next genuine value to add is to provide your client with copies of the actual HOA
bylaws regarding pets. HOAs routinely have requirements or restrictions beyond what the city
or county decrees. They'll typically govern things like what types of pets are allowed, not
allowed (i.e., species, size, weight, number etc.), restricted areas on the property, and fines
they may incur for violating the rules or bylaws. Get copies of these pet bylaws to your buyer
who may be contemplating a move into one of these types of homes. Keeping your buyers
informed keeps them a step ahead in their search, prevents misconceptions, and keeps you
appreciated for it.
Be aware of your market's "pet-friendly" neighborhoods.
What makes a neighborhood "pet friendly?" Just ask yourself a few of the following
questions: Do you have neighborhoods in your market area with dog-friendly restaurants?
Shopkeepers who keep doggie water bowls out in the summer and welcome the well-behaved
pooch into their shop? Does your market area offer veterinary services? Pet-sitting? Grooming
options? Perhaps there is an off-leash dog park? A nearby dog beach? A local pet food and
supplies store? These are the things that constitute a pet-friendly neighborhood and any one of
them is music to the ears of a client with pets.
Stay on top of the best places in your market area where pets are welcome from local kennels
and doggie day cares to dog-friendly hiking trails and pet-friendly hotels. Know whom the
best dog walkers and house sitters are in your market, too, so you can refer them to clients.
Make a list of all of the above and keep it current. Your clients (and their pets) will thank you
for it.
Have a pet-friendly consciousness while evaluating the actual property.
There are a few things to consider when looking for a home that will accommodate pets. If
your clients have elderly pets, you will want them to be cognizant of vast hardwood flooring
and/or a lot of stairs. Other clients with pets may want to avoid extensive carpeting due to pet
hair and odor absorption although it's fitting to note that deep cleaning a carpet for pet odors
has markedly improved over the past few years. Clients with indoor cats will likely desire
windows with screens. Others will look for an opportunity for a doggie door that will spill out
to a decent-sized backyard. You may want to have a list of the properties in your market area
that have fenced-in backyards as well as a list of handymen who could build a fence. Inspect
the existing fence of a potential home to insure it is "doggie escape proof." If you find that it
isn't, you may want to work with your buyers to decide whether or not making it so is a viable
repair request to bring to the seller.
Ultimately, your clients with pets will be happiest when they purchase a home that
accommodates the needs of their pets as well as their own. These are a few simple things that can
help make that happen.
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