Ask The Expert: Home Decorating
8 STEPS
ELEVATE TO
P
YOUR HOME’S VALUE With Pets
ets can be a wonderful part of our lives and offer unconditional love, and their presence adds warmth, love, and comfort to any home. However, when selling a home, buyers may see our beloved pets as an unattractive element. It could be a turn off to those buyers, and they may assume that the home has damage or is not as clean as other homes on the market.
Many realtors recommend removing pet toys, beds, or any signs of your pet while your home is on the market. This can be inconvenient but well worth the increase in buyer traffic. Below are eight steps to staging your home with pets for mass appeal to potential buyers: 1. Remove any items with stains and repair any damages from pets. A puppy may have had an accident on the carpet. They may have chewed up some baseboards or scratched up the back door. No matter the size of the damage, these things should be repaired or removed before a photographer shows up for listing photos. 2. Pets shed a lot. You may have become accustomed to seeing hair on the floor or sofa. However, potential buyers will notice this and raise a red
flag. Vacuum at least once a day; if it is during warmer months, vacuum twice a day to avoid unwanted pet dander. 3. Now is the time to have a professional clean out the vents. You can also clean outside the grate of your vents by wiping them down and replacing the filters with new ones that address pet dander. 4. Most people become used to the smell of their own home and are unaware of what it smells like to an outsider. With pets, there is a good chance that your home includes traces of your pet’s odor also. Opening the windows each day to air out your home is helpful. Also, clean your home weekly to avoid any offensive aromas for potential buyers. Prior to hitting the market, I recommend hiring a professional cleaner to deep clean your home.
5. Things like toys, bowls, leashes, crates, bedding, and cat litter should be removed from the home before showing. Any signs of pets can be a huge red flag to buyers and quickly eliminate your home from contention. 6. If your pet does its business in your yard, now is the time to clean up. After all, we do not want an unsuspecting buyer stepping in anything and tracking it back through the house. 7. Pets are also known for running through gardens and digging in flower beds. Take a peek at the beds to see that mulch is in place and everything is fresh and in tip-top condition. 8. When depersonalizing your home, do not forget to remove pet photos, too. Some buyers will still turn a nose to any evidence of a pet living in the home. It is best to start packing away any unnecessary care items and photos now for a quick sale. Following these eight easy steps will help elevate your home’s value and give it the best chance to impress everyone.
940.765.2684 | POSHHOMESTAGING.COM | ALLISON@POSHHOMESTAGING.COM
34 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE | FEBRUARY 2021
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