Follow steps for selling a home where pets reside

While pets are great companions, they can sometimes be a hindrance to the home-selling process. When you put your house on the market, you’ll nee to do some serious house cleaning and repairs before you can command a competitive price.

You want buyers to be able to picture themselves in your home. This means giving them the space to envision living there, space that is free from too many personal things. Here are some general tips that may or may not apply to your particular situation:

• Talk to your pet’s veterinarian first: One important thing to keep in mind is that your animal has its own needs that are best discussed with a veterinarian. Talk to him or her about what you plan on doing and how it will work with your specific pet or pets. This is especially important when your pet is older and may not adjust well to change. Selling a home can be just as stressful for the pet as the homeowner.

• Temporarily relocate: This may or may not be something you are willing to do, but it is easier to show and sell your home (and keep it clean), if your pets are away when buyers arrive. If you have someone you trust with Fido, it will give you the chance to eliminate the signs of having a pet in the house and prevent the pet from causing further issues. Some consider the presence of a pet a turn-off when shopping for a house.

• Remove pets for showings: When selling a home with pets, at the very least, you should remove them from your home while showing the property. All the cute things your dog does will not help you sell your home and only serve to remind the potential buyer that pets have lived there.

Ideally, you should have your Realtor show the home while you and your pet are away. Having a pet in the house or yard can create complications for your Realtor during a showing, and puts your pet at risk of accidentally running away. There are also liability issues at stake. While your dog or cat may generally be friendly, they could potentially be hostile toward people they don’t recognize.

It may not always be possible to remove a pet from a home. In this case, your next best option is to put them in a contained space and let a buyer and their Realtor know ahead of time or buy a pet crate to house them. Your pet may not be accustomed to this, and while you love treating your animals like one of the family, sometimes this is what it takes when selling your home.

• Repair any damage: As much as we love our pets, pet damage is never attractive when selling a home. Dogs and cats will inevitably destroy something — carpets, furniture, hardwood flooring, walls, doors, turf in your yard and fencing. This damage should be repaired before showing the home. This may require some investment on your part. Regardless of repair costs, the value you will get for your house will be worth the expense.

• Remove pet odors and stains: While it is possible to get used to pet smells over time, new visitors to your home will likely notice the smells right away. This is something you want to avoid. In fact, this may be the single most important tip for selling a home with pets. BY CINDY HAMANN Cindy Hamann of Heritage Texas Properties is 2017 chair of the Houston Association of Realtors/HAR.com.