Animal odors
can turn off potential home buyers and prevent your home from selling! Animal odors are the top of the
"Uh-oh" home selling list.
Before you
sell your home, walk through with a professional home stager and/or realtor who
will give you an unbiased and honest opinion.
Pets are big culprits of bad odors, especially your beloved dogs and
cats. I have a very keen sense of smell
and I can smell dirty dog, dirty kitty litter and cat urine a mile away.
So what can
you do? When preparing your home for
sale you need to bathe your dog at least once a week and wash your pets beds
and blankets regularly. If they sleep
with you, you need to wash your bedding as well. Air out your house! If you have carpet you need to have it
professionally cleaned to make sure the dirty dog smell is removed and
neutralized. I had one client who was
selling her condo after three years of renting to a family with a dog. The carpet was brand new when they moved in,
but after 3 years and 3 professional carpet cleanings, the dirty dog smell
remained and hit you like a brick when you entered the condo. My client was forced to replace the carpet. In the long run, this is worth the cost!
Keeping the
kitty litter box clean and kept, if possible, in an out of site location is
very important when selling your home.
Make sure it is cleaned out at least once a day. Also, if your cat has urinated on carpet or
hardwood floors, it is a must to have those surfaces cleaned and neutralized by
a professional. Cat urine smell is one
of the most offensive smells to potential buyers.
Other pets
such as birds, guinea pigs and gerbils' can also create offensive odors. It is imperative your pet's cage is kept
clean and preferably set in a inconspicuous location such as in the basement or
a corner of a bedroom. You don't want
the cage being one of the first items a potential buyer sees when entering the
home.
And, don't
forget the yard. Make sure there are no
dog droppings left as a surprise in the backyard!
Most animal
smells in a home can be neutralized without spending a lot of money. Do it now, before you put your house on the
market. If your house develops the
reputation among real estate agents as the "dirty dog" house or the
"cat urine house", your house will be last on their list to show
potential buyers.
Remember, even if your potential buyer is a
animal lover they are not a animal odor lover!! 