I was recently reading an article in the New York Times that discusses a situation where the seller’s friendly cat was a major selling point for a buyer. I thought this was an interesting idea, considering that real estate agents usually make sure there are no pets living in the apartments during open houses or other showings.
In this particular scenario clearly the agent was lucky that the buyers were “cat people”. What would have been more interesting is if the buyers requested to have the cat put into their contracted offer. There is also mention of an agent that exploited a dogs star power. Before each showing she had him sent to the doggie spa and made sure that he was present to charm the offers out of people.
For the argument the article discusses Starr Osborne, founder of a staging homes company, who believes that as a rule in selling a home is that you have to make sure your pets are not present upon showings.
This is a case-to-case situation for buyers and seller. There are always pros and cons when it comes to having pets around an apartment while showing it. It can totally depend upon the animal and his or her personality.
Some pros are cuteness, mood relaxers, creation of a homey environment, and a big appeal to animal lovers. Some cons are drool, smells, accidents, jumping, allergies, and clients who either hate animals or are scared of them.
As a seller and a agent it is up to you if you want to use the resources you are handed.
