Viewings with Pets?

Better_Days

Davesnave wrote: »

But for goodness sake give your teenagers some dosh and send them off the premises. A cold stare from a surly 14 year old who doesn't want to move can kill (enthusiasm) at 10 paces. :eek:

Or a 10yo who has a fit of the giggles and then uses the bathroom thereby demonstrating to all and sundry the inadequacies of sound insulation in the property.:rotfl:

Funny property that, it ticked all our boxes but we disliked it - hard to put a finger on exactly why - and was thereafter referred to as 'the house with no redeeming features'.

catshark88

Much as I love cats, dogs and (some) children, I'd always prefer them to not be around for a viewing, as they can be so distracting!

Asking if people mind, sounds great, but personally I'd be too embarrassed to say anything other than "not all all" & would still be distracted.

The person who moved their dogs between house and garden during the viewing, seems to have been spot on.

Limana68

OP-have you sold your house yet??

Our house is on the market at the moment, and we have alot of pets ( 5 dogs, a cat, parrot and 3 rabbits( outside) and have had feedback from one viewer that she was put off by the animal smells.
Feel gutted as I do my best to clean etc but I suppose you get used to your own house smells!
I couldnt get the dogs out of the house for that particular viewing as I was at work, and hubby was at home so dogs were in the kitchen.

Any one got any other tips for getting rid of pet smells? I have candles etc but obviously this isnt helping

BitterAndTwisted

The smell will be in the carpets and soft furnishings so they need to be thoroughly cleaned and often.

hazyjo

Have viewed many houses with cats in - and always leave mine loose when there have been viewers. They are not sociable anyway and will either sit nervously somewhere (Lottie has to be crowbarred out of her basket these days), or hide. If someone tried to stroke them, they'd run a mile. They definitely wouldn't be rubbing round strangers' legs!

I am still nursing a badly shredded hand from trying to get Morris in his carrier to go to the vets last week. If I ever sell up, I will not be putting him in a basket and putting him in the car or elsewhere. Mine do go out, so I would try to get them in the garden if it wasn't raining.

If someone's allergic to cats, I'd expect them to let the EA know so they can check. Chances are though, their allergy would surface without the cats even being there. If I was a viewer allergic to cats, I'd take an anti-allergy tablet in the morning just in case!

Jx

Dave_the_Ginger_Cat

I'd personally rather none of the occupants are at home when I viewed a house.

I bought from a elderly man's son, and the senior gent clearly didn't want to move and didn't make me feel comfortable.

So if you can ship the teenagers off with some cash so they can hang around shopping precincts (or whatever), what does one do with the elderlies?

isisini

When we were viewing we saw loads of houses with at least one cat. I quite liked it because I also have a cat and it's useful to get a sense of whether this would be a cat-safe location. So i'd say it's fine to have them out, just maybe let the viewer know beforehand and if they have a problem you can lock them away.

One house we viewed the owners had gone on holiday. There was an incredible mewling coming from somewhere which was very distracting/distressing! Luckily we worked out that it was coming from behind the window seat, and lo and behold there was a cat there who'd clearly got stuck and saw the opportunity for rescue. We took the liberty of moving the furniture and he ran off but no idea how long he'd been down there! So er.. don't love your cats unattended during viewings!

The main thing I think is to make sure you neutralise any bad cat odours and get rid of the litter try if you can.

DigForVictory

My sister was selling her flat & deployed us mercilessly.

I have sons, so we were asked to "take the dogs for a walk". In another county.

Other sis former childminder has cats & so got one cat and twin toddlers (house already babygated).

Parents got teen & husband (inviting them out for a meal.)

Sis had the flat clear, sorted, herself showered & a nice italian meal cooked, eaten & washed up with an open bottle of red on the side, hostessed the open house (managed to have fun!) and had it sold for £20K over the guide price contingent one exchange within a calendar month.

Three weeks later we were all reunited as she had a ticklist & family members assigned to tasks...

For her, clearing away All the evidence was the key to the sale. (Dad opines the red wine & the Italian aromas helped.)

(If she ever decides on murder, I shudder to think which of us will get what task!)

flora48

My buyer fell in live with our little dog and would have bought him too!

stacebkb

Limana68 wrote: »

OP-have you sold your house yet??

Our house is on the market at the moment, and we have alot of pets ( 5 dogs, a cat, parrot and 3 rabbits( outside) and have had feedback from one viewer that she was put off by the animal smells.
Feel gutted as I do my best to clean etc but I suppose you get used to your own house smells!
I couldnt get the dogs out of the house for that particular viewing as I was at work, and hubby was at home so dogs were in the kitchen.

Any one got any other tips for getting rid of pet smells? I have candles etc but obviously this isnt helping

We haven't actually put it on the market yet, looking to do so within the next couple of weeks or so.

Not really sure what to do about the pet smells either so will be interested to see if anyone has any ideas.