Destroy all evidence that you have a pet (Sorry)

60 percent of the population aren’t dog owners. The 60 percent majority aren’t all dog haters or even dog-dislikers. They may be afraid of dogs or have an allergy of some kind. So even though you adore your little “baby” and he never makes a mess or barks, he needs to scram when buyers view your house.

When you’re selling your house, you cater to the majority, and most people don’t have dogs.

As much as sellers don’t like to hear it, our number one recommendation for pet owners is to arrange for all pets to live somewhere else during the time the house is on the market. Seem a little harsh? Remember that this short-term pain helps you realize a long-term gain. Finding a temporary home for your pets helps you

These days, you find a variety of places where your pet can be safe, well cared for, and even pampered. Options include kennels, groomers, pet hotels, doggy day cares, and pet camps.

Dogs and cats are common, but when we advise getting pets out of the house, we mean all pets. That includes birds, cats, snakes, spiders, guinea pigs, mice, reptiles, and so on — anything that creeps, crawls, makes a noise, smells, or would strike terror in the heart of a buyer. The exception to the pet rule is a fish tank, but only if it’s well maintained and the fish aren’t ugly predators. Remember that buyers take only three to six minutes to look at a house and any seconds wasted looking at your fish tank are minutes they’re not looking at your house.

If you can’t swallow the idea of moving your pets out of the house while it’s on the market, then you do need to work at eradicating any and all signs of pet from your house. This means the obvious like removing pet waste from yards and the kitty litter from wherever you keep it; it also means paying attention to the following tell-tale signs of pet:

Odour:

Urine and spray from an unneutered cat leaves a particularly offensive odour. Many pet centres have a variety of cleaners and a special light so you can detect areas the cat has sprayed. An enzyme orientated cleaner will remove all evidence.

After you treat the problem areas, recruit a friend or neighbour to do the sniff test. Your nose is desensitized to everyday living smells, so you need an honest outsider to detect odours in your house.

Food:

Buyers are looking at all the space in your house, including cupboards, drawers, and closets. A place often forgotten by sellers is the food cupboard or pantry. Pantries and cupboards should be clean, neat, and tidy but should not include the pet food or pet supplies, which are a dead giveaway that you have a pet in residence.

Buy a fancy canister or container to store a small supply of the dry pet food, and then keep the rest of the food in the bag in the trunk of the car.

Animal centred art:

As a pet lover you may not notice that much of your art includes animals as subjects — particularly those that look like your pet. The art that’s right for sale preparation doesn’t include pets — no kitty on the window or dogs by the lake and no ceramic puppies on the sofa table. Replace this art with neutral pictures and accessories.

Pet hair:

General cleaning helps get rid of pet hair, but you do need to doublecheck some tell-tale places. Take a close look at the areas along the bottom of a sofa or pet’s favourite chair and check for additional hair that may be clinging on the side of the chair or sofa cushions. Make sure no pet hair dust bunnies are hanging out in the corners of the rooms.

You know your pets, so check that all their favourites snoozing places are hair free.