How to Sell a House if You Have Pets

It will be a rare event when a prospective buyer feels the same way as you do about your pet.

This article will offer top tips on how to ensure potential buyers are not put off by the negatives which can come with owning a pet whilst selling a house.

• Remember to repair any damage caused by pets, including carpets, hardwood flooring, walls, furniture and outdoor areas. Your home is not ready for viewings until these issues are addressed. Scratched door frames, shredded curtains or furniture legs, and damaged floors can all serve as a negative tip-off to prospective buyers, who might wonder what damage pets wrought that they don’t see — and will need to pay for. Examine every inch of your home for any damage that your pets may have caused and either fix it or move it out of sight.

• Remove pet stains and odours by having carpets and floors professionally cleaned. This, naturally, is an expensive option and can be avoided by using a cash-buying house service such as Gaffsy; it is the cheapest way to sell your property, avoiding costs such as agents’ fees, estate agents’ charges, solicitors’ fees, clearance costs, utility charges, mortgage payments and cosmetic repair costs. On top of all this, do you really want to be paying at least £15 per house for cleaners to freshen up your home?

• Tidy up the garden, especially if you have a dog that spends a lot of time outside. If buyers don’t like what they see outside, they might not bother to look inside. Whether it’s holes where a dog has buried a bone, a garden nibbled by cats or rabbits, or waste landmines in the grass, give your outdoor space some attention and clean up any messes.

• Relocate your pet during viewings unless it is a dog or a cat and exceptionally well-behaved. Remember that if your pet is a snake or a lizard, it may potentially scare a buyer.

• Clean, clean, clean. It cannot be emphasised enough! The property must be thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed before each viewing. This is a tough ask if you simply do not have the time to clean, clean, clean. To reiterate the benefits of a cash buying house company, the best part is that selling to them is fast – within days, compared to six months or more selling through estate agents. It is a hassle otherwise, potential buyers could have allergies, or there could be lingering smells you haven’t noticed because you have lived with them for so long. Smell can have a powerful effect on us and you don’t want to lose a sale simply because the odour in your home left a buyer feeling negative.

• Remove litter boxes, food and water bowls, and pet toys while viewers are looking around.

Remember, this is all unnecessary hassle when thinking of selling a house. If you have pets and need to sell quickly, cash house buyers like Gaffsy is a superb alternative to the constant cleaning and tidying you’ll have to do with an Estate Agent for viewings, with us you can get your house valuation quickly, and complete on your house sale fast with no fees. However, a pet is not always a bad thing when selling a house. There are a few, but notably only a few, situations where pets can enhance the likelihood of a home to sell.

• Pets can help make an otherwise sterile home feel cosy. Positioning a picture of a cute and well-behaved pet in a photo will help make a space feel more liveable. If strategically placed, the picture pet might even draw attention to a home’s best feature such as a fireplace or window.

• If your pet is exceptionally well-behaved it may boost the perception of your home during a viewing. But the pet must stay calm and you should limit it to just one pet at home during viewings.

• Dogs and cats are the only animals you should consider leaving in the home while viewings take place.