Blog: What To Do With The Pets?

As a busy Realtor and Home Stager I often get the question of what a home seller should do with their pets during a showing.

It is always best to remove pets for showings. Realtors are busy opening the doors, turning on and off the lights, showing the house and locking up the doors. It is difficult for them to be responsible for your pets as well.

I recently showed a house and the cat escaped. Luckily I grabbed the cat but I could have spent the night looking for their cat in the dark and in the rain.  It is a big responsibility to expect that the Realtor can keep track of your pets.

Not everyone loves pets. Often dogs greet the potential buyer by jumping up and/or barking. Not a great first impression.  

A buyer decides within the first 10 seconds if they like the house or not.  Don't have your pets influence the buyer in a negative way. Some pets are possessive and are not happy we are there looking at their homes. Potential buyers and/or their children have been bitten on showings.

Pets do have odors.  Make sure you clean and clean some more.  I recommend removing the cat litter box.

The goal of home staging is to provide an atmosphere where the buyer can envision themselves living in the home.  If they are not a pet lover, they will have a hard time envisioning themselves living there after being greeted by your pets.