To my surprise, not everyone loves dogs and cats, and over the years of selling houses in the Northeast Ohio area, I’ve learned that our beloved pets can be a complete turn off to people looking to buy a house. So, when our pet lovin’ clients are ready to sell their house, we have them take some extra steps to make sure the house is appealing to a home buyer.

• Scoop the poop from the yard.

• Clean out the litter box.

• When possible, take the animals with you during showing times.

• And, take their dishes too (sometimes just the site of animal items will invoke ‘the house smells of  ‘ and send a buyer running)

• Have the house professionally cleaned and deodorized (we once had to have our client repaint their family room because their dog would lay and rub against the walls and leave an oily film on the wall causing a dog odor).

• Have a friend who would tell you the truth and that has a great nose, come over for a sniff test.

• Vacuum daily to pick up the pet hair.

• Have the carpets cleaned

• Whatever you do, Don’t use one of those plugins, or the like to try to cover up pet smells, it really turns a buyer off. We’ve had some buyers refuse to look around a house because the smell is sickening.

• For stubborn pet odors, we have purchased an ionizer for our clients to use.

• Don’t leave your pets in a specific room where people can’t get in to see it.  More times than I can count, homeowners have left their pets in the laundry room, garage, bedroom, basement, with a note stating not to open the door, which means a Mayfield Heights OH home buyer cannot see in the room, leaving the room to their imagination  (and that is just not good, turns out, most buyers will think the worst and turn away from the house).

• If you cannot take your pets with you during showing times, crate your pets so your potential home buyer can see in every room.

Odors of any kind have a negative impact on people, and pet odors are at the top of the list of why a home buyer won’t buy a Mayfield Heights house.

Getting your house sold often involves eliminating the roadblocks that will keep a person from buying. Keep in mind your house has only one time to be a new listing, and one chance of making a great 1st impression, so take your time in getting the house ready for sale. Doing so will pay off for you in the long run, both monetarily and in the time it takes to sell the house.

With me as your Mayfield Heights OH real estate agent, you can have expert guidance you can count on. Find out how I can help you, call me, Christine Pappas, at 216-956-7635 today!