When it comes time to list your home for sale — you’re going to need a pet plan for your fur-babies! Spike and Lucy love you, but they may not love all these strangers traipsing through their home. So, what is your pet plan for home showings? We are here to help guide the way!
Pet Plan #1: Hire a pet sitter
If you can’t be available to take your furry friends on a walk for a 2 pm house showing on a Thursday, then we should talk about hiring a dog walker.
Lucky for you, New Orleans has a bunch of awesome dog walkers who can swoop in and handle this for you! Whether you choose Uptown Girls Pet Services, NOLA Critter Sitters, or even use the app Wag – there is someone who can let Fido out.
How do we handle this? As your real estate agents, we can require an advanced showing notice. When you get a home showing request, you can then make a quick call or click a button to schedule a walk during that time. Trust us, it will be easier on the potential buyers and your pooch.
Pet Plan #2: Doggy Day Care
Like we mentioned above, we can require a day’s notice to access your home. With this kind of flexibility for your life – you can schedule your pup a day at doggy daycare.
Dogtopia, Camp Bow Wow, Mary Mac’s Doggy Retreat, and Pet Paradise are all great options to let your furry friend have a day away!
Pet Plan #3: Crating your pet
Depending on your pet’s temperament, you might be able to get away with just crating your dog.
Test this out ahead of time though. You don’t want to find out that your sweet baby was barking his head off all day.
If you have a cat that is constantly trying to escape, do not rely on the real estate agent showing your home. Crating your cat may not be the easiest, but we would hate to see Fluffy get out!
Pet Plan #4: Have friends or family help
Call your mama and dem to see who can help out! Cash in those favors, bake someone a casserole, do whatever you’ve got to do!
It’s also great when a next-door neighbor who can pop over and take your pet out.
Enlist the help of someone who might be a stay-at-home parent, retired, or a student (think flexible schedule) who can help if we have a last-minute showing too!
Pet Plan #5: Keep everything clean
We cannot stress the importance of keeping your house super clean while on the market. This also applies even if you have pets.
Scratch marks around all doors (garage door, back door, doggie door) should be taken care of before photos. Pets love rubbing their faces on doors too – get a magic eraser and get all that gunk off!
Get all the poop out of the yard. Every day you’re going to need to check for landmines while your house is on the market.
Scoop the litter box daily – if not multiple times a day. Wash your pet’s bedding frequently. You may not smell it anymore – but people coming through will!
If you have an exotic pet, keep their cages super clean and fresh while your house is on the market as well.
Lastly, find a way to hide the litter box.
What NOT to do with your pet during home showings:
- Do not leave your pet locked in a bedroom. The potential buyers want to see every room!
- Please don’t leave them in the backyard either. People that are looking to buy your home would also like access to the back yard.
- Do not assume that your normally sweet dog won’t try to protect the home. We’ve seen some very laid-back pets lunge at “unwelcome” guests.
Lagniappe Pet Plan Info:
- Put all food and water bowls away. Water is easily kicked over and not all pet food smells great.
- If you’re going to take them for a ride during showings, throw all their toys into a basket and put it into the trunk of your car. Take them for a Starbucks Puppicino for being so good!
- When we schedule photos to list your home, be prepared to hide the cat castle and fish tank. They don’t look great in pics.
We want the experience of selling your home to be as easy as possible. If we know your house smells and looks great, and buyers won’t be distracted by your pets, then we can get sold quickly. The faster we get you an accepted contract, the faster you can go back to living normally! Now, let’s create a pet plan for you!
Let’s talk about how to sell your home! Schedule a meeting with us!