Pets are wonderful additions to families, but they are not the best thing to have when you are trying to sell your house. Having pets can make selling a house more challenging, and there are several important things you should know if you have pets and want to sell your house.

Pets can leave odors in homes

One of the downsides of owning pets is the odors they can leave in a house, and you might not even smell these scents anymore, simply because you can get used to the odors after living in a house with them. Stains and damage from pets are additional problems you can have when you have pets living in your house. Dogs and cats can urinate or vomit on carpeting, which leaves it stained and smelly, and they can also scratch floors and trim. The damage, odors, and stains you have in your house from your pets can be a turnoff to many buyers.

Pets leave dander and allergens in homes

Another problem of having pets in your home is the dander and allergens they leave off, and this is especially true with cats and dogs. If people come to see your home and are allergic to this dander, they might end up sneezing and having watery eyes the entire time they are inside your house viewing it. People with allergies would not be able to buy your house due to this problem.

Pets can scare or distract people

The other thing to realize is that if you have pets in your home during showings, the pets can either distract people or scare them. Because of this, you would never be able to leave a pet home while you had a scheduled viewing. You would have to remove the pet beforehand, simply to avoid problems during the showing.

Tips to follow

If you have pets and want to sell your home, talk to a real estate agent about what you can do to improve your odds of selling. The agent is likely to give you the following types of advice:

• Deep clean and sanitize your house
• Remove all the signs that pets live there
• Board the pets for a while
• Remove the pets prior to showings, so they are not home during them

Having pets can make your job of selling a little harder, but if you follow these tips, you might have an easier time finding a buyer. For more information, contact your local real estate agent services.