January, 2023
Most property owners these days will have a pet of some kind. Even though you love them and they are dear to you, having a pet can somewhat upset your chances of selling your property if you don’t take a few easy steps.
There are several handy tips you can follow to help maximise the sale process of your property, without having to give up your beloved pet permanently (how could you ever do that?).
This one might require some thought. On paper, the option to temporary relocate your pet through the sale process might be the easiest and least difficult. However, you may struggle to be apart from them and you can never be too sure of how long the sale might take.
If you have close friends or family who live nearby, that certainly would be an option.
A benefit of having your pet living with someone you know; is the trust you will have in them to look after your pet properly. It also helps to ensure you have a property that’s pet odour-free.
If you decide that temporarily removing your pet altogether from the property is not for you, then perhaps just removing it for property showings might be an option instead.
Remember, all the cute things your dog or cat (or equivalent) does will not help you sell your property. It will instead just remind the potential buyer that pets have previously resided here.
Ideally, your pet should not be in your house or back garden when viewings are taking place. It might make the estate agent or the viewers nervous whilst walking around your home.
Furthermore, the viewers might bring along young children with them. The last thing you need is an inquisitive young child trying to play with your grumpy pet.
It might be a cat that loves stretching its claws on your couch, or a dog that loves biting the backdoor frame, but these things need to be repaired prior to potential buyer viewings.
It pays to repair damages
This is a biggie. Your home, even though you may be ever so slightly immune to it, will most likely have an underlying odour of your pet of some sort.
This is the last thing you want a potential buyer to smell as they walk through your door. Bad smells are one of the most common factors in putting potential buyers off a property.
Avoid the smell by having your carpets and flooring professionally cleaned, spray your house often with odour removing sprays and wash your pets regularly.
Clean dog mess from your back garden! This seems so obvious, but some sellers neglect this one. Every potential buyer likes a clean and tidy garden and that most definitely means no dog poo!
All those kitty litter boxes, dog chew-toys or hamster hutches should be taken away and out of sight. Anything that will suggest to the buyer that a pet resides here should be hidden.
For more information on how to get your home ready for viewings, please feel free to contact the team on 0121 430 4448 or email enquiries@hshomesiofsolihull.co.uk.
