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Ask Yvette

I happen to be very tolerant when it comes to pets. After all, I have probably seen worse and the sight of a barking dog does not scare me. But as we shopped for a new house, I saw things in a different light.

When listing your home, most people want to get the best price possible. And I suppose that this price should be based on the home, not the animals.

But should is a loose term and the truth is that you are at the mercy of the buyers. If they feel comfortable in your home, they might consider putting in an offer. Having a dog piddle on a prospective buyer's shoe as they browse probably isn't the lasting impression you want to leave.

Looking back, there is one decision we made that we would repeat. We asked our agent to list on the MLS that we had two large dogs. We asked realtor's to call ahead to schedule an appointment time.

Our dogs are not vicious, but they are on the large side. If I had to guess, the dogs would probably follow visitors around hoping for some attention. But that is not the point when you are selling a home. Buyers need to feel safe and welcome. And heaven forbid they accidentally let the cat out. Imagine your prospective buyer chasing Fluffy up and down the street in a panic. Asking for notice allowed us to move the dogs to a neighbor or family member for a quick visit.

I asked our agent, Sam Yusuf from Sutton Group Preferred Realty to offer some advice to people with pets who are selling. Here are the top three things you should do.

“Get your pet out of the house during showings.” According to Yusuf, “One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is leaving their pet in the back yard, the garage or even in another room.” Barking dogs make sellers uncomfortable. Just because you think Fido is fine in the yard, it doesn't mean that a seller doesn't want to see the roof. An area occupied by a pet makes a potential buyer feel uncomfortable. Right or wrong, as a seller you want to make a deal happen.

“First impression's everything, so let's not make those buyer's walk in the house and then to have them immediately turn around and walk out.” You spend the time cleaning your personal items, so make sure you present a clean and tidy image when it comes to your pet. “Remove any kind of pet odours. If necessary, hire professionals to remove stains. If buyers see any stains, they immediately form unfavorable opinions about the rest of the house.”

Finally, Yusuf says, “Remove any signs of a pet.” That may seem harsh when Fluffy is family. But “Buyers including realtors are always impressed after going through a home and realizing afterwards the sellers have pets.” It isn't that pets are bad. It is about pride of ownership. “It solidifies in their minds that pride of ownership is present and the home is well taken care of.”

In other words, how you care for your pets reflects how you care for your home. Your pets are a reflection of you.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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