House Pets May Pose a Problem When Trying to Sell Your Home in Kitsap County

This is an abbreviated version of an article that appeared in the May 2006 edition of REALTOR Magazine, the National Association of REALTORS business tool for real estate professionals.

Stories abound of buyers (or their REALTOR agent) who have been accosted or intimidated by household pets while they were viewing a property that was on the market for sale.

I understand that pets are family members (our family had dogs when I grew up and at one time or another my kids have had mice, rats, cats, dogs, a leopard gecko, a green iguana and miscellaneous snakes, turtles, frogs and fish) . However, if you will be selling your home I would recommend that you either:

• Take a break, leave your home and take your pet(s) with you when a showing is scheduled for potential buyers.
• As difficult as it may be, board your pet(s) for the day or longer as the situation warrants.
• Make arrangements with friends or family members to keep your pet(s) until your home has sold.

There are some folks who are just plain scared of animals, period. And those buyers are looking to purchase your home, not your pet(s)!