What should you do with your pets during a showing? We love our pets. We consider them family members. But when you’re selling your house and potential buyers want to view the home, what do you do with the animals? Not everyone loves animals so here are a few ideas for how to handle your pets.

What To Do With Your Pets During A Showing

Remove them from the home whenever possible.

Dogs and cats should be removed from the home during viewings. If it’s not possible to remove them, make sure they are crated or kenneled. This protects both the animals and the people entering your home. Dogs can be territorial, and you don’t know how they’ll react to strangers coming in the house when you’re not there, so err on the side of caution and ensure everyone is safe.

If you have birds or reptiles, make sure they are secure and cover the cages to minimize the effect the animals have on people who may not be happy to see them. You don’t want to, literally, scare off a potential buyer because they see your pet snake.

Clean up their mess.

Get rid of any poop (inside or outside the home). The worst thing that could happen is your potential buyer steps in a mess and leaves with a bad smell stuck on the bottom of their shoe.

Put away their toys, dishes, scratching posts and whatever other items belong to the animals. These items may cause a buyer to look for animal wear-and-tear, or to focus on pet odors. To minimize the chance of this keep them out of sight and out of mind.

Wipe marks off the walls and vacuum up any hair.

Eliminate orders.

Clean the litterbox, cages or aquariums often so no offensive odors can be detected. Smelly odors can deter a buyer so make sure you do everything possible to make the home free of any pet smells.

Inform your REALTOR about your pet.

Make sure the Charlie Parker team knows about all your animals so they can advise any other agents who may be viewing the home with potential buyers. If you can’t remove the animals, or you don’t want to crate the cat, it’s important that anyone entering the home is aware of this. A loose cat can quickly get out the front door if it’s left open, so making sure everyone is aware beforehand will reduce the risk of Fifi or Fido getting out.