The prospect of keeping your home show-ready can make you feel anywhere from exuberant to anxious. Either way, it’s best to have a ready plan of action for each time you leave the house for a showing. It helps to delegate tasks to each person in the home. Even small children can help with simple tasks like putting toys away and tossing laundry into the hamper. It’s best to have a flexible plan for caring for any family pets as well. Below are 5 tips for home staging and selling with pets in the home.
1. Keep Your Pet Safe
Your pet shouldn’t be in your home during any showing. This helps keep your pet safe and lowers anxiety for everyone. You don’t want endless barking, the risk of a cat slipping out the door, or any liability that can come with a nervous animal.
If you’re not able to care for them yourself when selling with pets, consider a pet day care, pet sitting at a friend’s or neighbor’s home, or hiring a professional to entertain your pet at a different location for the duration of the showing or open house.
2. Remove Pet Evidence
You don’t want any evidence that a pet is living in your home. Tuck away food wand water bowls. Move large bags of pet food or empty pet crates to the garage. Pack up pet toys in basket or storage tubs. Make sure you vacuum and sweep your home to remove pet hair, and lint roll any furniture. Pack up the litter box in a garbage bag and remove from the main part of the home. Put new material in the gerbil or bird cage. Most potential home buyers — even those who love pets — will be wary of pet smells and stains.
3. Deep Clean when Selling with Pets
Get any carpet or floor stains professionally treated. Hire professional cleaners to polish things from top to bottom. Wash nose and paw prints from windows and doors. Your home should be in pristine condition when a potential buyer walks through the door.
Make sure your home smells fresh each time you leave. Don’t go overboard — scents that are too strong will make potential buyers wonder what you’re covering up.
4. Repair Any Pet Damage
You probably have a few spots around the house that your pet got into, but you haven’t had time to repair. Now is the time to get it done. If you had a puppy who loved to chew walls, get it fixed. If the cat climbed the screens and turned it to shreds, replace them. Did someone scratch up the floors? Sand them down, polish them up, and get them looking like new. Attention to these details can make the different between a good offer and a great one.
5. Clean Up the Yard
Don’t forget to clean up evidence of your pet from your yard. Scoop the poop, fill the holes, and repair any damage to fences. Not only will this boost your curb appeal, it will keep potential buyers from wondering the sort of damage your pet may have caused inside the home.
While there’s only five things on the list, they may feel overwhelming with everything else you’re doing while your home is on the market. Here are a few tips to make the rest of your selling to-do list easier:
- Staging a Home Office space
- Staging Your Bathroom
- Staging During Warmer Weather
- Easy Home Staging Hacks
To make things easy on yourself, make a checklist, delegate tasks, and always have a backup plan for pet care.