Selling your home? Point out its pet-friendly feature.

For years, real estate agents and home stagers have advised removing all signs that a pet lives in your home. They’ve said “Hide the pet beds, the food bowls, the toys, etc.” And of course, they want the pets out of the house for showings.

 

Getting them out of the house is still a good idea. Pets can be totally distracting to pet lovers and totally off-putting to non-pet lovers. Plus, there’s always the risk of a door being left open and a pet escaping into a busy street.

 

But as for removing all signs of pets – maybe not. A new report on Realty Times even suggested that you might want to hang a photo of you with your dog, place a basket of dog toys on the hearth, or leave a dog or cat bed in plain view – even if you don’t own any pets.

 

Why should you show that your home is pet friendly? Because 68% of the households in the U.S. are pet households – and that number will grow as more millennials purchase homes.

 

My thoughts – if you don’t have a pet, don’t fake it. If you do have a pet, make sure that dog or cat bed is clean and your floors aren’t floating in hair. There is still 32% of the population that doesn’t own pets – and some of those people have allergies.

The bottom line is that it’s good for your home to look pet-friendly, even if you don’t own a pet yourself.

 

The article sited a new report showing the reasons why millennials are buying homes today.

 

The #3 reason was so they can have a better space or yard for a dog. As we all know, renting with a dog is either prohibited or expensive, and millennials want to own dogs – even more than they want to get married or have children. (The #1 reason was to have more space, while #2 was an interest in building equity.)

 

33% stated a desire for pet ownership / a better place for their dogs as the reason why they purchased a home. In addition, 42% said the desire to own a dog will be their reason to buy in the future.

And don’t forget about the Baby Boomers. A few years ago, some predicted that as we age, pet ownership will go down. That hasn’t happened. In fact, Boomers who now have no need to support children are turning that attention to their pets – spending more on food, toys, treats, and veterinary care than ever before.

 

For them, it might be a good idea to show how easy it would be to install a pet door into an enclosed back yard.

 

And if you’re buying and thinking of future resale value? Now, along with buying into a good school district, you might want to take a look at the Homeowners Association Rules regarding pets. Buying into a neighborhood with a restriction on the size or number of pets just might reduce your future resale value.