It’s important to make a great first impression when selling your home. If you share your home with pets though, you’ll need to work extra hard to ensure it looks (and smells) its best.
Although you consider your pets as part of the family, potential buyers are likely to view them as a smelly nuisance. If you have pets roaming around your home, here are a few tips that will help when it comes time to sell:
Scratch the Surface
You’re probably so used to your scratched-up floors that you don’t even notice them, but buyers will, so make sure to patch up any scratches.
Suck It Up
The smell of pets can really cling to fabric so give your couch and carpets a good clean to give your home a fresh and inviting scent.
Cut the Clutter
Clutter is a real pet peeve so be sure to clear away any pet-related items such as pet beds, feeding bowls and toys from both inside and outside your home.
Fur Real
You don’t want allergy sufferers to be sneezing and sniffling while they’re viewing your home, so clean pet hair out from under the stove, tables, blinds and other crevices.
Breathe Easy
Open up your windows before showings to air out your home and simmer a few cinnamon sticks on the stove to give your home an inviting aroma.
Dog Gone It
No one wants to be greeted by a barking dog when they enter a home. A whining dog in a crate is also a huge distraction, so take Fido with you whenever there’s a showing.
Creepy Creatures
Some buyers may refuse to enter a room that contains pets such as snakes or rodents or they may even cut their visit short, so remove any creepy creatures before listing your home.
Do the Doo Doo
Don’t forget to clean up all of the “doggie doo-doo” before your showings. People exploring your yard will be turned off by seeing it, smelling it, or even worse, stepping in it!
When selling your home, it’s important to make a great first impression. Even animal lovers will be put off by the hair, smell and mess that pets make, so take these tips into account to ensure your furry friends don’t soil your sale!
