Bringing a pet home is one of life’s most precious moments. With your new four-legged best friend, you can start a new chapter in your life.
While pups are super cute, you should also expect a little chaos. Learn how your pets could affect your home’s resale value to ensure you know how to keep your home clean!
1. They Could Accidentally Scratch Your Floors
Your floors are part of the long-term structure of your home. They add to every room’s interior design and can impact resale value — hardwood floors, in particular, offer an estimated return on investment of 118%.
If you do have hardwood flooring, dog and cat nails will scratch it over time. You can get their nails trimmed regularly and cover your floors with rugs to minimize potential damage. You could also upgrade to a scratch-resistant option like vinyl planks.
2. They Might Chew on Your Home’s Fixtures
Pets don’t understand things like permanent home fixtures and resale values. Your pup might chew on your windowsills and baseboards when they’re anxious, upset or bored. Those fixtures will remain after your future move and may be an issue for buyers.
You can prevent this issue by keeping an eye on the permanent fixtures around your home and patching them up. You could also spray apple cider vinegar on areas your pet loves to chew to deter them from doing it again.
3. They May Stain Your Carpets
When you’re raising a puppy, you should take them outside 20 minutes after each meal and typically once every hour or two. You might think your carpets are safe after your dog learns to relieve themselves outside, but accidents happen. They’ll still occasionally have an accident or throw up on your carpets throughout the years. When they reach old age, they may lose control of their bowels, too.
These accidents happen with any pet. Invest in a stain-lifting tool like an upholstery spot cleaner designed for your specific type of carpet. To apply the stain-removing solution, spray the area, give it a scrub and suck the remnants up. If you spend a few minutes removing stains as soon as possible when they occur, you’ll prevent your carpets from having permanent stains that decrease your home’s resale value.
4. They Can Mess up Landscaping
Landscaping creates the curb appeal that boosts your home’s resale value. Unfortunately, pets don’t care about that. If they smell something exciting or have a little extra energy one day, they might dig holes in your grass or chew on your bushes without thinking twice. Training them while they’re young could ensure this isn’t an issue in your household. Reward your pup when they step away from your landscaping with treats and extra pets.
You can also give them outdoor toys and supervise them every time they’re in your yard. They’ll appreciate the mental stimulation from their new toys. Meanwhile, you can breathe easily because you’ll be able to stop them if their playtime gets too destructive.
5. They Sometimes Create Lingering Odors
Anyone who lives with a pet knows how they create specific odors. A notable canine smell develops due to shedding. Cats do the same thing, but they also have litter boxes that create secondary odors.
Porous materials like carpets absorb microscopic particles like odors, mold and liquids. You might have to sell your home at a lower price if your pet’s odor will linger long after you move out. Vacuuming regularly can prevent any aroma from building up, but you can also schedule recurring appointments with floor cleaning professionals. They’ll use industrial cleaning agents and steaming equipment to make your carpet smell brand-new while lifting stains.
Protect Your Home’s Resale Value
Your four-legged best friends don’t have to affect your home’s resale value. Keep some tricks in mind to maintain your home’s quality, like spot-cleaning your carpet whenever stains occur and training your pet to understand how they should act indoors or outdoors. You’ll have a much better experience when you put your home on the market if you take easy, preventive action long before you decide to move.
Author Bio
Jack Shaw is a writer and editor for the lifestyle magazine Modded, as well as a car enthusiast and lover of nature. His writings on home design and renovations have been published on sites like CADdetails, A House in the Hills, House 2 Home Organizing and more. Feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn.
