How To Sell When You Have Pets

Central Iowa Real Estate Podcast with Misty Darling

Here’s how you can sell your home if you have pets to keep track of. Today I want to share another clip from my radio show, Central Iowa Real Estate Scoreboard, on 106.3 KXNO-FM. In case you don’t know, I do this show with Heather Burnside, and it airs every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. In this clip, we discuss how you can sell your home when you have pets. The trick to selling your home with pets is to make it seem like they don’t exist. This means making sure they’re out of the house during showings, but it goes beyond that. Hide their bowls, beds, kennels, and anything else that reminds people of your furry friends. Also, make sure your property doesn’t smell like wet dogs or litter boxes before folks visit. In past shows, I’ve mentioned that pet-friendly homes are in high demand right now. You might think that pet-friendly buyers wouldn’t mind yours, but you’d be wrong. Just because someone is crazy about their pets doesn’t mean they want to be reminded of yours. Plus, other pet owners know how much of a menace our animals can be. Even if you’ve deep cleaned everything, they could begin to wonder what Fido has torn up while you lived there. “Just because someone is crazy about their pets doesn’t mean they want to be reminded of yours.” Speaking of which, you probably know you should repair any pet damage to your home before showings. However, you also may want to repair or remove any furniture damage. They aren’t coming with the house, but torn-up couches can make buyers feel uncomfortable. For similar reasons, try to make sure your pets aren’t present during showings. Not only is it stressful for your potential buyers, but your pets probably don’t appreciate strangers poking around their homes either. A typical goal for an open house is to have 20 or 30 people view your property. That’s a lot of people for your pets to deal with. If you have questions about today’s topic or anything else related to real estate, please call or email me. I am always willing to help!