Pet Owner's Guide to Selling Your Home

Pet Owners Guide to Selling Home | Judi Wright Team | Best Frisco Realtor

Quick tips & products to help Frisco home sellers with pets

Owning a pet is awesome…most of the time. But, when you are trying to sell your home, your little fur-baby might present some challenges.

Why pets can be a problem when selling your home

Prospective buyers may not like pets

Who doesn’t love pets right? Even if the prospective home buyers like pets, they may be unsure of yours. For some, pets in the home can cause anxiety when viewing the home.

Disruptions when viewing the home
Pets are unpredictable, especially when strangers enter their abode. You never know how your pets will react to some strangers. If they bark excessively, snap or bite to ‘protect’ their territory or garner attention, this can be very unpleasant for the prospective buyers.

Pet odors and stains
While it’s true, some prospective home buyers may love pets – nobody likes to see or smell evidence of pets. You may think your home doesn’t have any pet odors, but it could be that your nose has become accustomed to the smell. Pet odors and stains are a big red flag to home buyers.

Evidence of pet damage
Does Fido like to chew or leave tufts of hair laying around? Chewed corners of furniture or scratches on walls, baseboards and flooring are another red flag for home buyers.

How to minimize the presence of pets when selling your home

The first thing you should do is talk to your realtor. A professional real estate partner can help you access and prioritize your task list when preparing to sell your home with pets. Not only can they provide the critical ‘nose test’, they’ll also be a good source of options for what to do with your pet when prospective home buyers are viewing the home.

To help, we’ve outlined a few quick tips on how to prepare your home, plus a handy list of our favorite products for pet lovers.

What to do before showing your home

Clean, clean, clean!
This includes vacuuming floors and dusting furniture to get rid of pet hair, clean marks on walls and baseboards, and clean up stains and remove odors. Don’t forget about that crazy pet fur that somehow seems to attach like magnets to ceiling fans, corners, stairs, and even curtains. The list of products below might come in handy when getting after those darn stains and odors.

Normal air fresheners and stain removers usually will not work – go for pet products that have enzymes specially formulated to treat pet stains and odors. Clean up kitty litter boxes (daily if needed) and don’t forget to pick up all ‘evidence’ in the backyard.

Before each showing, hide or remove pet toys, cages, and water/food bowls if possible.

Repair damage

Repair any evidence of pet damage such as chewed furniture, cabinet doors or baseboards. A little wood putty and a touch-up of paint or stain might do the trick.

If larger repairs are needed, it is worth the money and often essential to get it done right as this could impact the sales price of your home.

Relocate your pet if possible

Nobody wants to think about this but having a pet in your home during showings can negatively impact the prospective home buyer’s perception of your home. If you can, take your pet with you when the home is showing, or find a friend or doggie daycare center that will love on your pet for a little while.

If relocation is not possible, work with your realtor to find a good solution to minimize the anxiety of prospective home buyers and your pet during showings. Remember, the home selling process can be stressful for your pet also. But, your realtor can help you find a solution that works for you.

Products & services for home sellers with pets

We love our pets. Not so much on the stains, odors and extra furballs floating around. To help you prepare to show your home, we’ve listed a few products and services below.

Odor Killers

Home remedy- You might try this first to save a little money. Prepare a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% water in a spray bottle. For new spots, spray the mixture on the stain and drop an absorbent towel or paper towel over the spot. Soak up as much liquid as possible. Repeat until stain is gone.

For dry stains, coat the stain with baking soda, then spray the vinegar/water solution until it forms little balls. Wait 2 hours, then vacuum.

Fresh Wave Odor Neutralizing Gels

Rocco & Roxie Enzyme-Powered Pet Odor & Stain Removers

NonScents Pet Odor Removers

Nature’s Miracle Enzymatic formulas

Hair Removal

Home Remedy – Rubber gloves!

You’ll be amazed at how effective an inexpensive pair of rubber gloves can be. Lightly dampen the gloves and just rub over the surface. This works for rugs, furniture, stairs, even clothes. The static electricity creating from the rubber acts like a magnet and pulls pet hair away from surfaces.

A simple lint roller or duct tape also works great to remove pet hair from small areas.

FURminator– is a deShedding tool. Use this on your pet a few times a week to reduce shedding, but the tool can also be used on rugs, cloth furniture.

“My mommy uses the Dyson Animal and the Roomba…she says they are great for cleaning up my cute furballs!”
Charley-Girl, the Official Mascot of the Judi Wright Team

Evercare Peg Mega Cleaning Roller– this is basically a larger version of your typical lint roller but made to attract pet hair. Use for furniture, carpets, rugs, and baseboards.

DeShedding Brush Glove– Like the FURminator, use the glove on your pets, but it can also be useful for a quick pass on fabric furniture.

Evriholder FURemover broom and squeegee – This handy tool is great for raking the carpet first to free hair from carpet fibers and corners. Then, simply vacuum up. You can use this on carpet, tile, hardwoods, also great for those tight corners on the stairs.

Top rated vacuums for pet hair include the Dyson Ball Animal 3, the Shark NV752 Lift Away TruePet, and the iRobot Roomba Pet Series robot vacuum with the “POOP” Promise.

Boarding / Daycare

Looking for a special place that will love on your special fur-baby during showings? Here’s a list of top-rated doggie daycare facilities in the area. Some are priced a little higher than others, but there are plenty of options to choose from.

The Furry Guys– 7259 Elm St. Frisco, TX | 214-931-3333

Legacy Dog Resort – 8555 Legacy Drive, Frisco TX | 214-618-4501

Happy Tails Spa– 8785 McKinney Rd, Ste 100, Frisco TX | 469-362-8736

McKee’s Pet Place– 9122 Kyser Way, Frisco TX | 214-705-1080

Woof City Pet Villa– 7850 W. Main St, Frisco TX | 214-705-7297

Selling your home can be a hectic and stressful time – for you and your pet. Minimizing the evidence of your pet in your home doesn’t mean you love your pet any less. It will help your home show better and alleviate anxiety from prospective home buyers.

If you’re a pet lover and looking to sell your home in Frisco, Plano, Allen or McKinney – give us a call at 469-634-0932 anytime.

About the Judi Wright Team

Judi Wright/The Judi Wright Team is a real estate group specializing in the suburbs of Frisco, Plano, and surrounding areas. Named the “Best Realtor in Dallas,” by D Magazine twelve times and a Five Star Realtor with Texas Monthly. Judi is also a Company-Wide Top performer with Ebby Halliday and the #2 Top Group for Ebby Halliday Frisco.