Staging to Sell…With Pets

By Catherine E. Brown

If you have pets, you know they are part of the family, or they may even be your four-legged family – but Kitty and Pooch won’t help to sell a home! Buyers will be thinking about flea-infested carpets or pet hair and dander. Those with severe allergies may not even consider a home with pets.

Just as certain scents can trigger memories in a person, the scent of a home can leave a lasting impression on a potential buyer. How the property smells is almost as influential as how it looks.

Often, people who have pets are so accustomed to their odours that they don’t notice them. Ask a friend, realtor, or an Accredited Staging Professional how the house smells before it goes on the market. If they detect odours, buyers will, too.

While making sure that the house is odour-free and spotless applies to all sellers, pet owners need to take special care. Simply baking cookies or bread (too contrived anyway) isn’t going to cut it!

Doggie Do’s

• Have the drapes, carpets, and upholstery professionally cleaned and deodorized. If the drapes are heavy and dated, remove them altogether.
  
  
• Invest in an ozone machine.
  
  
• If weather permits, open windows to let in fresh air.
  
  
• Use Glad Plug-ins with Febreeze fresh scent.
  
  
• Send pets to Grandma's house, to doggie daycare, or with you when the house is being shown. Pets under foot or leaving hair on clothing will put a damper on an otherwise positive showing. A barking dog or an overly friendly cat can distract a purchaser from the positives of the property.
  
  
• Ensure that pet dishes, beds, sleeping areas, toys, supplies, and food are put away during showings or open houses to avoid hazards.
  
  
• Vacuum all traces of pet hair.
  
  
• Pick up dog droppings from the yard daily.
  
  
• Clean kitty litter at least once a day and empty garbage bins.
  
  
• Keep fish tanks clean and fresh.
  
  
• Reptiles or exotic animals could turn off potential buyers – that’s all they’ll remember about your home – not its outstanding selling features.
  

Catherine E. Brown is an Accredited Staging Professional and owner of Staged to Move. Catherine is committed to helping clients sell their home for the best price in the least amount of time. She can be contacted at (519) 868-7171 or by email at catherine@stagedtomove.ca. Visit her Web site at www.stagedtomove.ca.

Published in Networking Today, June 2006.