Selling a Pet Occupied Home

Many sellers ask me “what do we do about our pets when we have a showing on our property”? Well, that’s a very good question!

My best advice is to remove your pet from the house. Even if your pet is "friendly” accidents can and do happen to both the perspective buyer and/or the family pet. Taking FIDO to the kennel, or out with you for a walk or a drive around town, is better than having him in the house. Some dogs will jump on people frightening them, some will bark continuously to protect their territory (remember that first impression?) and some just get nervous or scared when strangers come into “their home”.

Then there are the buyers with allergies. Many people have allergies to cats and dogs. So when Kitty comes over for a back scratch (and it never fails - they always do), she may pose a health threat to someone, or at least, make the person feel uncomfortable.

If you cannot remove your pets from your home during a showing, the next best thing to do is to provide them with a safe environment such as a crate. This will keep your pet confined and the visitors free to move around. Ensure that there is fresh water available if your are crating your pet for a couple of hours, and that the crate size matches the animal. Your pet should be able to fully stand up and turn around.

If you have a shedding animal, even though you’ve done your best to remove all pet hair, it’s a nice touch to leave a lint roller by the front door just in case a stray fur ball gets loose and clings to your buyer’s black pants.

And if you do have pets, you absolutely have to ensure that there are no surprise packages around the property and the litter is fresh. Of course, this does not apply to reptiles and fish!

As always, if you have any questions about the Kanata, Stittsville or Ottawa Real Estate market in general, drop me a line at joannetibbles@royallepage.ca