What to do with dog when selling? (agent, expensive, Realtors)

[purplesky]

I'm putting my house on the market in the next few weeks.

My dog is friendly but is a barker. I also don't leave him in the cage (haven't used it in years), since I have a friend that walks him when I work 12 or 16 hour shifts. (I've had no problems with him peeing at all, especially since I now have wood floors).

I'm considering dropping him at my mom's house (she lives about 30 minutes from me), on the days I work. I don't want to leave him in a cage (plus he would bark until someone let him out). Plus, since it is a total buyer's market now, I figure that if someone knows that there is a dog at home, they might not even come in.

What have other people done regarding selling homes and animals?

I should also mention, there is no sign of my dog at my house besides a water bowl, which I will naturally remove when a potential buyer comes in.

[QuilterChick]

There is really no need to make the house look like there is no dog living there, leave the bowl etc. But never leave the dog in the house or the garage -- no matter how friendly or laid back he is; it's a liability for the homeowner.

I would ask a neighbor to simply come and take him for a walk prior to a showing or a reliable pet sitter who can be called ahead by your Realtor. Most Realtors are very accomodating if you ask for a minimum of a one hour's notice prior to showing; and leave the "babysitter's" phone number with your Realtor.

[bbronston]

Let me qualify this first by saying I have two big dogs and dog hair is a way of life. If you can keep the pup out of the house, do it. I have had buyers refuse to go in a house because there was a dog there. Of course, others aren't so sensitive but why make it harder to sell? I've seen people put a dog in a room or garage but that's a bad idea. Buyers want to see the whole house and really don't like having their access restricted. I've also seen dogs kept on the lanai or pool area (Florida) but that just keeps buyers from experiencing what could be the best selling point of the home. I don't like showing appointments-I think your home should be ready to show at a moment's notice-but that might be something you'll need to do. Whatever you do, I wouldn't leave the dog free to roam the house. No dog is 100% predictable and you never know what could happen when strangers enter their territory without you there.

[keeshonder]

Either take the dog to a sitter or crate it. The friendliest dog can, and often does, become territorial whenever some person enters the home when the human companion is not there. The showing agent or buyers could have some scent on them that triggers an aggressive response. Plus, a "free roaming" dog will very often distract buyers attention as well as potentially cut the viewing short.

[Alley01]

Ours went to doggie daycare each and every day until we sold our house. We got up at the crack of dawn it seemed to clean the house, take them to doggie daycare and hope that we cleaned up any indication that they were here! It was even trickier when we had the foster cats. We had a neighbor take care of them during the day at her house. It was kind of expensive but I think it did help...I know that most people aren't animal lovers especially when considering a house to buy.

[muggums]

I refused to have our pets around even when the buyer's agents said it was no big deal. They were always out of the house and I tried to erase all signs of them before each showing. It was just too important for us to sell, and we didn't want to take any chances. It was a huge pain, for 6 months, but it was worth it.

[purplesky]

Thanks for all the advice. I didn't plan on leaving him there when potential buyers show up, I guess i just wanted to hear what everyone else did. I probably will get a few friends on call to pick up dog when there will be a showing, meaning I will need an hour or two advanced notice and/or will drop off dog at mom's on weekend when I work.

The dog hair isn't much of a problem, he sheds less than other dogs I've had, and I will just vaccuum/dust everyday.

Depending on how the traffic might be, I might just have him visit "grandma" for the first week my house is on the market.

Do people normally get most of their traffic when they first put house on the market? Is it true that it's slow and most people are lucky to get a couple of showings per week?

[bbronston]

That depends on your local market. In the good old days of normalcy it was true that new listings got the most attention in the first few weeks but now there is no normal. You could be doing the doggie-shuffle for months but it is important.

[Silverfall]

We have lots of dog owners in Oregon and so we just have a two hour notice to remove dogs written very often in the private remarks. Short notice showings aren't the norm in my area so we work around pets all the time.

[lifelongMOgal]

Remove your dog from the home whenever possible be it to a family member's, the dog sitter, or doggy daycare. You are doing this not only to help your home sell but primarily for the safety of your dog. Crates are for safety too.

It is never acceptable to leave a free roaming pet in the house for real estate showings as the agents and prospective buyers should not be left to be responsible for making certain the animal doesn't escape outdoors or, heaven forbid, take a disliking to someone and bite in defense of home/territory.