Allow potential buyers to visit your home undisturbed
You certainly love your loyal dog, but when somebody new comes to your home, and that somebody is a potential buyer, you should allow them to visit the property at ease. This might sound cruel, but you should either take your pet somewhere they cannot disturb visitors or ask somebody else to walk them outside or to take care of them while you talk to these persons.
There are many reasons why you wouldn’t like your pets to be present during these visits. On the one hand, some people are afraid of dogs or allergic to cats. You can never know. This is why it’s better to prevent any unpleasant events.
Also, people who don’t like animals by default will immediately get a bad feeling when they have to breathe the same air as Fido. And if your dog senses their negative vibe and starts barking, to defend what it recognizes as its territory, the whole visit can turn into a fiasco that will never materialize into a sales contract.
Cover or repair any visible damages caused by pets
No matter how much you love your furry companions, you can’t deny the fact that they can damage your property, which is not only annoying but can also make a bad first impression for potential buyers. Dogs are used to digging holes in the garden and chewing things. Cats use all sorts of objects as scratching posts.
Some of these damages can easily be fixed by hiding or disposing of the damaged object. However, if your pet left visible marks on your door or railing, you should take time to fix these imperfections before welcoming someone who is interested in buying your property.
We can never stress enough the importance of a good first impression. To have this impact on buyers, you have to strive to make the most out of your property. You would be surprised how easy people observe flaws, especially when they are about to make a major purchase.
They will take into account all the additional repairs they have to handle once they move in and, whether they have to pay to change the front door or not can weigh heavily on their final decision. Conversely, there are buyers who don’t take time to analyze everything. They just follow their instinct without trying to spot flaws.
These are the kind of people that need less than five minutes to decide they don’t want to buy a particular house without even asking themselves why. However, their decision is always triggered by a series of reasons, and holes in the garden, scratches on the door, or animal hair everywhere can be some of those factors.
Remove pet-related items
Just to make sure you are not making anybody feel uncomfortable or reluctant to buy your home because animals live there, you can minimize the pet’s presence. Some people will not even realize there is an animal living in a house unless they see visible signs such as cages, pet toys, or food bowls. During the visits, you can put those items away so that you don’t start off on the wrong foot.
Finally, it’s recommended to give your house a thorough clean before you start getting visits from prospective buyers. The problem of pet odor and hair can be quite off-putting for some people, but with a little bit of effort and good cleaning products, you can prevent this.
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