To celebrate National Pet Day, we thought it would be fun to share our team’s beloved pets with you. From cats that keep us company when working from home, dogs that encourage us to exercise and improve our mental health, to animals that influence our choice of home and lifestyle, like horses. We are a team and indeed a nation of pet lovers.
Pets can be a major motivator for moving home; a requirement for pet-suitable outside space is an important factor for many movers. But considering how you present your existing pet-dwelling property when selling is important too.
As you can see, our team at Neilsons are super pet friendly! However, many prospective buyers may not be for reasons ranging from allergies to phobias. Also – crucially – it is important to present your property for sale in such a way as to appeal to the widest possible range of buyers and presentation is key.
Properties which reflect a previous occupier’s taste in decoration or lifestyle presents an impediment to the prospective purchasers from taking the all-important mental step of projecting themselves and their life into the property and moving their furniture in. The decision to buy is often an emotional not a rational process and you must create the environment for that thought process to take effect. Everything that follows stems from that basic principle.
This also means an intelligent assessment of your pet’s location and needs throughout the sale process is required.
For some pets, having a raft of strangers turn up to view their home can be a cause of stress and anxiety so it’s worth considering where they will live throughout the sale process for their well-being as well as for the needs and comfort of your viewers.
We also recommend that pets (even house cats) are removed from the property whilst the professional photography and 360 tour are recorded. You would be surprised – even the shyest of cats can get sassy for a diva photoshoot as soon as the cameras are out! In any case, it is not in your best interests to have pets in your marketing material.
It really is worth considering a holiday for your pets whilst selling. Could they be rehomed with a friend or relative whilst your property is live on the market? With Neilsons’ average selling time sitting at just 14 days, it’s unlikely to have to be a long-term issue.
If your pets will remain residents during the sale of your property, then we would recommend having them and any evidence of them out of the way for viewings. Arranging for the dog to be out for a walk, for example, and for things like litter trays, bowls and pet-toys to be tidied away.
An important consideration when selling with pets is that some pets have their own unique aromas which might be off-putting to prospective buyers. Neilsons’ recent social media poll showed that a whopping 74% of buyers find pet smells off-putting when viewing a property. Pet owners can become completely nose-blind to the pet smells they live with on a daily basis. When selling a home with a pet, get a trusted friend to be completely honest with you and attend your property to advise on any sights or smells that you might be missing. It is essential to take steps to deep clean and ventilate the property before viewings with fresh air – no amount of freshly baked bread or freshly brewed coffee will cover the smell of wet dog or dirty litter tray!
For more advice on selling with pets give our team a call on 0131 625 2222 or email us mail@neilsons.co.uk. We offer a FREE and no-obligation valuation service with house doctoring advice, including coping with your sale with pets, free of charge.
Book a FREE pre-sale appraisal with Neilsons here!
