Selling A House With Pets At Home

When we have pets, they quickly become a part of our family.  But when it comes to selling your home, potential buyers may not be impressed by the presence of your four-legged family member.  Whether it’s due to allergies or a simple case of not being a lover of animals, many buyers shy away from a home with pets.  The good news is that there are strategies you can employ to sell your house without a ruff time.

A Foolproof Solution

If you worry about potential home buyers being scared off by the presence of your pet, find an alternate location for them while you are showing the home.  Perhaps a neighbor, family member or friend could watch your pet for a few hours.  Otherwise, consider boarding your pet temporarily.  Without the discomfort of an unfamiliar animal, buyers will be free to tour your home and envision their own belongings in it without having any distraction.

If All Else Fails . . .

If you cannot find a way to temporarily relocate your pet, place him/her in a pet carrier when buyers are touring your home.  Animals should not remain in this type of unit for more than two hours at a time, but this should give buyers enough time to see the home and ask any questions.  If you have an outdoor kennel or exercise pen, your pet may be satisfied here until the tour is over.  Your main focus is to keep him/her from interfering with the tour and/or disturbing your potential buyer.

What’s Left Behind

As every pet parent knows, animals often leave little surprises in some unapproved places.  If you find yourself with carpet stains or pet odors, hire a professional cleaning company.  If this fails, replace the carpet or consider installing hardwood floors.  Buyers will see stains or smell the presence of an animal and may form an early opinion, which isn’t likely to be favorable, before even giving your house a chance.  Once your pets are out of the house, remove their litter box or training pad(s) and clean the area thoroughly.

Staging

Many sellers are already aware of this term because staging a house is essential in the real estate business.  If you have pets, remove any photos or other goodies, including toys and furniture, when showing your home.

Picture Perfect

When you sell a home, your REALTOR® will take photos for the listing.  These images may appear in advertisements and/or on the REALTOR’S® Web site, which means they should represent everything that is wonderful about your home.  Avoid any photos that show your pet, his/her toys or bed.  Buyers are not looking for a pet, but rather a house that they can call home.

Legal Matters

Your local law may require that you inform potential buyers that a pet lives in the home.  Nobody likes to see pet hair on the carpet or see a dirty litter box, but they do have the right to know everything about the house, including any pet presence.

Planning The Perfect Memorial Day Barbeque

While the focus is often on the Fourth of July when it comes to backyard celebrations, Memorial Day is often a popular choice as well.  In many parts of the country, the weather is finally becoming warm enough to truly enjoy the outdoors as the summer season kicks off.  Memorial Day is the perfect time to gather friends and family together for the perfect backyard barbeque.

What’s On The Menu?

With all the other activities that are planned for the Fourth of July, the menu is often simple.  Since Memorial Day is usually more low-key, consider going the extra mile when it comes to the food you choose to serve.  Barbecued ribs are a finger licking good favorite that everyone will appreciate.  They can be a little expensive, though, so they might only be a good choice for a small gathering.  Another fun choice is to slow-smoke a pork shoulder or other piece of meat.  It takes a long time, but that true smoky barbeque flavor simply can’t be beat!

A homemade coleslaw or pasta salad is always a classic choice for a side dish, but you can also consider taking it up a notch with some homemade baked beans.  Made in the slow cooker, they are an easy choice to prepare ahead of time.

Fun And Games

Set up some fun games for people of all ages to add to the fun.  Classics like a three-legged race, a water balloon toss, or a cake walk are always popular choices.  You can also consider getting a piñata filled with small toys and candies for the young children.

A treasure hunt around the neighborhood is another great way for everyone to have a good time, and works especially well if your neighbors are joining your barbeque.  Create a list of things to find and send out teams on the hunt!  When everyone comes back, have prizes for the teams who have been successful!

Memorial Day is a great way to start off the barbeque season and have friends and family over for a great time.  Take advantage of your long weekend and plan a great barbeque everyone will be talking about.

 

How Long Should You Keep Your Home On The Market?

Many a home seller has been there—the house has been on the market for months and there is no sign of a sale.  At what point should you pull the house off of the market, assuming it is even an option for you?  When you start to feel like you are getting nowhere, it’s important to step back and consider the facts of the situation before you make any decisions.

Is The Season A Factor?

If your house has been on the market through the summer and well into fall, and the holiday season is approaching, you may feel there is no point in keeping it listed through the winter.  You may be right.  The holiday season is a notoriously difficult time to sell, and you yourself may want to just take a break and enjoy your holidays without interruptions from agents and potential buyers.  If you can take a step back and resume your efforts to sell in the late winter or early spring, doing so is usually a wise choice.

Are You Asking Too Much?

Before you consider pulling the house off the market, take an honest look at your asking price.  If it is unrealistic and you have been holding off from dropping it, going to a lower asking price before you give up on selling altogether might be the wiser course of action.  Giving up on what you feel your house is worth is difficult, but if selling is an urgent need you are going to have to do what is necessary.

The Market Is Just Slow

Economic factors have slowed the sale of homes all across the country.  If the market is particularly slow where you live, you might want to consider taking the house off of the market for a while and waiting it out to get a better price later.  If you have already moved out, consider renting the house for a while until the market looks up.

Making the decision to pull your home off the market is difficult, and you should never do it without looking at all the details and discussing it with your REALTOR®.  In some cases, however, it will be the wisest course of action and result in a sale for more money down the line.

 

Avoid The Most Common Mistakes When Selling Your Home

Here are the most common mistakes people make when selling their property.

Home Is Priced Too High

This will certainly turn buyers off, and you may have to make several contingencies or offer incentives in order to get buyers even interested in making an offer. While you may feel your home is special, asking more than the fair market value will usually get you nowhere.

Home Is In Bad Condition

While your home in its current condition may work for you and your family, if there are obvious repairs that need to be made, or it is terribly outdated, fixing these problems will not only make it easier to market your home, but will also increase its value.  In most cases this increase will be considerably greater than the money you put into making the changes.

Home Is Being Marketed Incorrectly

When selling your home, there are no guarantees that the ultimate buyer will simply walk through the front door.  In many cases you may have to bring your home to the buyer.  Effective marketing will help ensure that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing, and able buyer in the shortest period of time.

By adhering to the advice in these simple tips, you can avoid the biggest mistakes homeowners make when selling their homes, and the process will be smoother and more profitable in the long run.