Pets and Home Staging my Top Tips
Not often associated together. Many of us are animal lovers, in fact, this post was motivated by the newest member of our household – a rabbit.
Our first pet – it’s been on the cards for a while and if I am honest I have been putting it off and overthinking it. We are a busy household as it is and a pet feels like having another responsibility, cost, mouth to feed, nevertheless there are a lot of positive reasons to have a pet and with the whole family onboard here we go…
If your household includes animals, then read on:
Our homes are our personal spaces, and we should all live in them however we, please. However, if you are planning to sell your home, considering how it will come across to others is really important.
One of my first home staging projects was a lived-in property, my clients were selling their large family home close to Cambridge and planning to downsize to the Norfolk Coast. Animal lovers, they had 2 dogs and 2 cats.
One of the things I remember was in the second bedroom they had a cat litter tray and other animal items. This setup worked well for them but from my perspective, it didn’t create the right atmosphere in the bedroom. One of the suggestions I made was that they moved these items at least for photographs and viewings.
Here are a few more tips on how you can show off your home to pet lovers and those that aren’t…
Have designated pet areas in suitable locations.
I would suggest having feeding stations and litter trays in rooms such as utility rooms, kitchens, porches or conservatories – practical rooms that are easy to clean and with hard floors.Pet Beds and Blankets
Now may be the perfect time to upgrade your pet’s beds and blankets. If they are looking very tired and worn then invest in new ones. Or wash and freshen up the old ones – mostly so they don’t carry animal odors which can often stand out more to visitors.Storage
Showing that you have good storage solutions for all your pet paraphernalia is a great way to demonstrate how spacious and well-designed your home is. Hooks for dog leads, tubs for pet food, and practical spaces for crates and cages will be helpful to other pet owners and help those who don’t have pets consider how else they could use the space – it makes it memorable (so let’s make the memories positive).10 Minute Tidy Up
Pets or not I would always recommend having a quick 10-minute tidy-up prior to viewings. Open up some windows to let fresh air in, hoover and straighten up the beds, sofas and soft furnishings so they are looking the best they can.Viewings
When we bought our last house the previous owner had a very large dog. However, it was not until we got chatting that we realised a dog lived there at all. She put the dog in the car whilst we viewed the property as it was likely to bark and want to suss us out at the viewing. I don’t mind dogs but not everyone is a fan, my children would have completely freaked out at a large barking dog, and this would have made the viewing quite stressful.
So where possible think about where your dog is going to be when viewings are held. You could take the dog for a walk if an agent is going to present, put it in the car or at least in the garden while your viewings take place. After all, you want people to remember the house and not the pets.