Experts Reveal How Pet-Owners Should Prepare Their Homes For Viewings

Selling your home can be a stressful process, particularly in the current economic climate. With so much competition amongst sellers, it’s important to ensure your property stands out from the rest, and entices those buyers. There are many things that can put people off when viewing a property, including things like pets, invasive plants, repairs and clutter, so make sure you do all you can to create an inviting space buyers can imagine living in. 

With 62% of households in the UK owning pets, and pet smells frequently listed by homebuyers as something that would put them off buying a home, property experts at estate agent comparison website GetAgent have revealed their top tips for ensuring your pet-friendly home doesn’t put off potential buyers. 

How To Get Rid of Pet Hair 
Pet hair can not only look unappealing, but it can also be a major factor in meaning a house retains a ‘pet smell’. Removing all pet hair from your home will ensure it smells as fresh as possible, and isn’t visible to your potential buyers. 

1. Carpets 
   Dampen carpets before you try to remove pet hair, as this will really help you get any bits that are stuck into your carpet fibres, before going over the surface with a rubber bristled broom. Afterwards you can vacuum the loosened hairs, making sure you go over the same patches of carpet twice, in different directions, to pull out those stubborn hairs. 

2. Soft furnishings 
   Pet hair relies on static, in order to stick to surfaces. Use this to your advantage and use a pair of lightly wetted rubber gloves, or a sponge, and rub on soft furnishings to remove pet hair from them. The hair should easily come off in clumps that you can then throw away, or vacuum up. 

3. Hardwood floors 
   Vacuums are less effective at picking up hair on hardwood floors, as they can blow the hair around before being able to suck it up. Instead, try using a mop with a microfibre pad. 

How To Get Rid of Pet Smells: 

With research finding that smells are the biggest turn-off at a home viewing, taking steps to ensure your home doesn’t give eau-de-dog, is vital in getting that sale.  

1. Use baking powder 
   Baking powder is a great, natural deodoriser. Sprinkle some onto a soft surface you want to clean, allow it to sit (overnight if you can) and then vacuum it up the next day.  
    
   Tip: you can also use baking powder instead of buying scented litter, if you have cats. It’s less off putting to them so will keep your furry friend happy, while diminishing the smell inside your home. 

2. Deal with cat stains as quickly as you can 
   Stains and smells caused by cats marking carpets and other soft furnishings can really stick. The uric acid crystals and salt in cat urine are insoluble, and bond tightly with surfaces that they land on. Therefore, when any moisture proceeds to land on those crystals, you get that distinctive smell that will likely put off many buyers.  
    
   Tackle any areas straight away with cold water, and blot until it’s dry. Next you can use a carpet cleaner on the affected area, before rinsing with cold water again and blotting dry with kitchen paper. 
    
   Tip: Avoid using vinegar as a cleaner, as the smell will likely encourage pets to mark the area again! 

Repair Any Damage: 

While you may not notice the cat scratches on your table’s legs anymore, or any soft furnishings that your dog likes to chew on, potential buyers will. Even if you’ll be taking your furniture with you, it can leave a lasting bad impression on buyers, who may assume other areas of the home will be in a state of disrepair too.  

Check your interior, and your garden and lawns or flowerbeds, to make sure everything looks as neat and tidy as possible. 

What To Do With A Pet During The Viewing:  

Not all house-viewers will be lovers of animals, and coming into contact with a dog or cat during a house viewing – no matter how friendly they might be – may make some people feel uncomfortable. If possible pets should ideally be taken out for a walk or sent to stay with a friend or relative while visitors are viewing the property. However if it is not possible to (temporarily) remove the pets from the property, the next best option would be to keep your pet either in the garden, or in a pet-friendly crate or cage for the duration of the viewing. While you may think your dog is cute, you won’t want to risk any viewers being put off by your furry friend.  

Colby Short, CEO and CoFounder of GetAgent, comments: “Our furry friends are as much a part of the family as the rest of us, and particularly throughout the last few years – pets have become an absolute lifeline to many of us in terms of companionship, and offering opportunities to get out of the house.  

“That said, not everyone likes to keep pets in the home, and with selling your house a tricky enough process as it is, making sure there’s nothing in your home to put off potential buyers is vitally important for anyone with a pet-friendly home. Keeping your home free of pet-related clutter and smells, will help you get that sale as quickly as possible, so you can move onto your next dream home.” 

For more information on how to prepare your house for a viewing when you have pets, please visit: https://www.getagent.co.uk/blog/diy/preparing-for-house-viewings-pets  

Credit to : https://www.getagent.co.uk/blog/diy/preparing-for-house-viewings-pets for providing the above post