It is best not to bark and not to meow when trying to sell your home

By Larry Stoller

We all love our pets, and most everyone loves pets, but the buyers for our home may not. Having potential buyers look at
houses when pets are present in the home is a usually a big no-no.

If you want to get the highest price for your home, don’t let your dog or cat bother your home-buyer prospects. As loveable
and well-behaved as your pets are to you, they can be very inhospitable to strangers.

The best thing that you can do is to remove your pets while the house is being shown. Let them stay with a friend or relative or
bring them to pet day care. If this is not an option, take your dog or cat for a walk or a drive when the house is being shown.

It is also important to minimize all negativity that buyers may associate with your pets when viewing your home, even if they
don’t see them.

If you have pet stains on the carpet or floors, get rid of them. If you can’t get the stains out, consider replacing the floor
covering.

Cat litter boxes, dog’s potty, cat trees and pet toys should be well-organized or kept out of sight.

Pet odors and smells must be non-existent. Don’t trust your own nose, have a friend do a whiff test. It makes good sense to
remove or mitigate all or most signs of your pet.

Remove pet photos, doggie doors, food and water bowls, dog or cat hair (vacuum very frequently), cages, carriers, etc. First
impressions are so very important, so don’t risk turning off an interested buyer.

I have sold a number of homes with pets, and in some cases, the homes were kept so nice, well-organized and clean that some
of my remarks above did not really need to be followed.

On a personal note, my wife and I have a very loveable 52 pound standard poodle. Her name is Cherie, and if we ever decided
to sell our home, all three of us would probably go on a nice vacation – together!

Larry Stoller is a Broker-Owner and Realtor with Real Estate FIVE of the Low Country. Larry@RealEstateFive.com,
www.RealEstateFive.com