Selling With Pets: Sellers and Buyers Get Emotional

If you think it’s difficult to sell a house when children live there, it can be equally challenging when you have pets, perhaps even more so. Many sellers have strong emotional attachments to the pet members of the family and are blinded to issues that can interfere with a successful sale. Many buyers also have strong feelings about animals – pro and con – that can complicate the picture even more.

The Seller’s Emotions
Some sellers are offended that buyers might not appreciate their beloved pet as much as they do. They’re worried about causing stress or unhappiness by confining their pet, or removing it for a showing or open house, particularly if the animal is younger, older, or in poor health. They resent buyers who won’t (or can’t) overlook the animal’s presence, and they’re reluctant to do extra work to prepare the house and arrange for showings. Yet sellers must be willing to resolve emotional issues and create solutions to the practical problems associated with their pets, if they want to sell.

Buyers’ Emotions
Sellers may find it difficult to understand, but some people are afraid of their animals, even seemingly harmless ones. They worry that a dog will bite, cause them to trip or fall, or jump on them and damage their clothes. Dogs aren’t the only problem. Some people are afraid of cats, birds, snakes and even small creatures like hamsters, mice, turtles, gerbils, etc. You know your family pet is loving and harmless, but others may not, and therefore can’t focus on the features of your house.

If buyers dislike pets, it can prejudice them against your house. Even buyers who like animals can be irritated by their presence or behavior. Some buyers are allergic to pet hair and dander, or to flea bites, or they simply may feel uncomfortable because animal behavior can be unpredictable.

Whether or not these feelings are well-founded isn’t the point. At a minimum, they’re a distraction that can keep certain buyers from appreciating the house. Some are so fearful of animals, or have such a negative reaction to odors or other things suggesting their presence, that they’ll refuse to tour your house, much less buy it.

Next time we’ll look at some pet-related problems and practical solutions.

Smart Selling Tip: In order to sell, you need to be proactive and reconcile your concerns for your pets’ well-being with the concerns of buyers.