What should you do with your pets when your home is being shown to prospective buyers? We love them, but they can cause some difficulties during showings. First, what kind of pet do you have? For example, a fish or guinea pig can stay in their habitat while buyers walk through your house.
When it comes to cats, it depends on your specific cat: Do they like to run out of the house? Do they hide under furniture? Generally, as long as everyone knows a cat is in the house, there shouldn’t be an issue. However, if your cat likes to run out the door, you don’t want to rely on whoever is showing the home to keep them in the house, so you may want to take some extra precautions. You can keep them in a specific room or a kennel if they can handle it.
“Dogs can get protective of their territory, and some people aren’t comfortable with them.”
With dogs, you have three options: You can take them with you when you leave the property, kennel them, or send them to doggy daycare. If you kennel them, you can choose a room or put them in the garage with the garage door open a bit for fresh air. Some people want to leave their dogs to roam the backyard, but many people want to explore the backyard during their showing, and this makes it more difficult. Dogs can get protective of their territory, and some people aren’t comfortable with them. If you opt to take your dog with you, an idea is to pick a great trail to walk with them.
If you have further questions about what to do with pets while your home is listed or anything else concerning real estate, please give us a call or send an email. We would love to help you.
