As much as humans say they love animals, and house pets in particular, they probably don’t love yours and the accompanying clutter, damage and dirt our pets naturally create.

That’s why it’s so important when selling your home to try to remove all signs of animals in the home. Potential buyers don’t want to see scratched up flooring or mounds of dog poo in the yard. They want to envision themselves living there and those unsightly reminders get in the way.

Here are a few suggestions you might want to try when trying to sell your animal-friendly home:

Relocate your critter 

This may be one of the most difficult ideas but it will likely be the most effective. If you have family members or friends who have taken Fluffy previously, perhaps you could call on them again to look after your pet.  This will make the sale of your home much easier as keeping it clean will be a breeze with your pets out of the way.

Go for a walk with your pet 

Removing you, your pets and the rest of your household members during a showing and/or open house is ideal. While you’re at it be sure to clean up all signs of pet ownership. That means make sure the yard is free of animal waste, clean and cover kitty litter boxes, pickup pet toys that are strewn around your home and yard and remove food and water bowls.

Try to avoid moving pets outdoors during showings and open houses. Some buyers want to explore the outdoors as closely as the indoors so banishing your pets to the yard can be a hindrance. With people coming and going from your yard, there’s also a risk your pet might get out. Don’t forget that all pets pose a potential liability hazard with the possibility of biting and scratching.

If finding a home outside of their home is impossible during the showing, try to keep your animals restrained to a cage or container of some kind.

Spit & polish 

This can mean a little or a lot. Did your Doberman chew your wainscoting? Or maybe he liked to pee on a certain corner of carpet? Any which way, damage done to walls, floors, carpets, lawns and even furniture should be repaired before you even think of letting potential buyers in your home.

When it comes to pet smells, only a really devoted animal owner can tolerate the odors that accompany their beloved pets. Get carpets cleaned and treated professionally for urine odors and for stains. If that cannot be done, you may need to replace the carpet or rug.

Yard clean-up 

Just as you’ve done a comprehensive clean inside your home, you need to do the same outside. Pick up any and all mess from the yard that relates to your animals. You will also want to replace damaged sod or fill holes that have been dug.

Sources: www.maxrealestateexposure.com,