PETS APPEAL FOR SOFT SELL
THE resident pooch is becoming hot property as pet-mad homebuyers prioritise finding the purrfect pad for their four-legged friends.
Searches for “petfriendly” properties surged in 2020, coming in as the fifth most popular keyword search on listing website realestate.com.au. It is the first time the keyword has entered the top 10.
Estate agent Glenys Pitkin, of Harcourts Coastal, said her marketing team started photographing owners’ dogs about three months ago.
Ms Pitkin said the strategy had piqued buyer interest, particularly within the pet-friendly suburb of Sanctuary Cove, where most of her luxury property listings are located.
Her listings include 5031 St Andrews Terrace, where resident pup Raffles poses on a stylish mustard-coloured lounge, and tan-and-black Thandi, who featured in the pitch for 4625 The Parkway.
Marketing agent Shane Seghers, of Ray White, said: “I guess with house prices getting higher, more people are being forced into highdensity living and they still want to have their pets with them, so pet-friendly townhouses and apartments are in high demand.”
It’s not just pics of homes for sale attracting puppy love, with social media posts of pets also racking up the most engagement.
Alicia Curtis offers a Burleigh Heads shoot location for hire and said her two chocolate cavoodles Luna and Mitzy were regularly photographed for advertising campaigns.
“I hear it all the time, even with the fashion companies that come and shoot here, that the best-performing pictures they post on Instagram are the ones with dogs in them,” said Ms Curtis, whose main account @my.burleigh.reno has 103,000 followers.
The REA Group data comes as the RSPCA reported a 30 per cent rise in adoptions during COVID’s first wave in 2020.
Australia’s pet industry was already burgeoning, with 61 per cent of households owning at least one pet and $12.2 billion spent on pet services and products in 2019, according to Pet Medicines Australia.
Dogs cost owners an average $1627 a year, and $962 for cat owners.