Tips from Realtors: Moving with Pets (Fur Babies)

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Tips from Realtors: Moving with Pets (Fur Babies)

Unlike children, pets do not understand why strangers are walking through their home—especially when their owners aren’t there (for showings). When you come home at night you may find that your pet has had a bathroom accident or chewed something—something extremely out of character for your beloved pet. 

Follow these great realtors tips to make your buying/selling/moving process stress-free for your fur baby:

• Pets can detect different smells than humans do and they will smell the residual scents of the strangers who have been in your house. They may try to cover it up with their own urine.
• When pets get nervous they often pee and act out. You need to understand that they are nervous and stressed out and this is a simple reaction to that. They are not ‘being a bad dog’, so don’t punish them. Instead fix the stress associated with it.
• Just because your pet is friendly to your family and friends, this doesn’t mean they will be to strangers who enter your home—especially when you are not there.
• Keeping your routine is important with animals, especially dogs, so if you have a daily morning walk be sure to keep doing that. If you go to the dog park once a week, keep going once a week. It is critical to continue the same routine once you’ve moved into the new house too.
• Also, keep in mind that many real estate agents AND homebuyers are afraid of animals, so you may need to crate your animal during showings—or get a realtor who becomes acquainted with your pet and is willing to stay with them during showings, like The Wilding Team.
• The Wilding Team doesn’t want you to miss showings on your home because other real estate agents are afraid of your pet. We accommodate this and ensure that showings are maximized on your home by caring for your pet when you are not there.

The Wilding Team Two-Step Pet Process (primarily for dogs and anti-social cats) Tips from Realtors:

Step 1: Getting to Know your Pets
We get to know your animals. This will take a few separate, consistent visits before showings begin taking place on your home. These visits need to include the seller’s presence at first, and then a few without the seller being there. This will allow your pet to become comfortable and accustomed to us. We also need to know the routine for getting your dog on a leash and taking it outside, or the routine of temporarily crating your indoor cat.During the process we will offer your dog a ‘treat’ on arrival and upon leaving so that they associate our presence with a happy time.

Step 2: Properly Handling Showings
If your dog is not caged/crated during the day we will make on-going arrangements to meet all agents and buyers at the house at a specified time to allow the agent and buyer to view the home in peace while we care for your pets. In the meantime we can take the dog for a small walk or playing in the yard or just sitting with them and keeping them company. This allows the agent and potential buyer not to be distracted while viewing your home.

Contact us today to find out how we can help you and your furry friends make moving an enjoyable, friend-filled experience. If you have babies of the non-furry variety—then check out our great article on Moving with Children!