Ahhhh….our furry four-legged friends…We spoil them, buy them clothes, toys, fancy beds…treat them like family members…and then we put our home on the market, and our Realtor says, “ You really need to remove all your animals from your home while showing.” And you are like….”What am I supposed to do with them?”….As a Realtor, as an animal lover, as an animal owner…my dog is not being shipped off anywhere just because I am trying to sell my house. BUT I am going to take some safeguards to insure my pet’s safety and the Buyer’s safety when entering my home.
I highly recommend placing your dog/cat in a crate in an extra bedroom while your home is being shown. This is the safest place for your pet. Attach a note to the crate, asking visitors to please not touch. I have been showing homes to clients…we open the door to enter the house, and literally have to squeeze through the door to keep the dog from slipping outside. This scenario changes the whole vibe while showing the home….no longer are my clients looking at the house…they are either paying attention to the dog or are hurrying through the home because they are afraid of dogs. Not a good selling feature!
How many times have we heard, “Oh, Fido…he wouldn’t hurt anyone…if someone comes into my home, he’ll just lick them to death.” How can you be sure, and do you really want that liability? For instance, just the other day, I was showing a property where the dog was left at home during the day, uncrated. We arrived at the home and this large dog was sound asleep on the couch, snoring away. A typical friendly dog can become aggressive when startled, especially when strangers are in their home. I warned my clients to stay out of harm’s way of the dog. When the dog woke up, he approached us, sniffed us, and returned to his horizontal position.
Me, personally….I am afraid of cats….I have never owned a cat, have never really spent any time around a cat…OK…I just don’t like cats. They freak me out. So walking into a home with several cats makes me quite apprehensive. They have a tendency to want to slink up next to you, rubbing their bodies against your legs….I think more people feel this way about cats than they do about dogs. When Buyers learn that there is a cat in the house, many will not even want to tour the home. Many people are allergic to cats; others think that they will never be able to get the “cat-odor” out of the home. So, for cat owners, I do recommend removing the animals from the home. And, at worst case, putting them in cat carriers in a hidden corner in a room. Remove their litter boxes outside to garage while your home is being shown.
I personally cannot think of anything more disturbing than to return to my home after having it being shown to potential client, than to learn that my dog escaped out the front door and is now running free through the neighborhood…maybe to never be seen again. For such little effort, my beloved pet could be secure and safe…in his crate.
I’m not willing to take the chance of something happening to my 4-legged family member while he is home alone. Are you?
