It's a great day when you got one of the hottest listings in the neighborhood and at a great offering price. There is one little glitch, however. The owners have a prized pet that thinks he owns the place. Pets can present problems in allowing the property to show, and show well.

At first, you minimize the challenge that the sellers require you to be present for all showings; because you are sure it will sell fast. Besides, what's a little extra service to make "Fido," their prized dog, less traumatized and you a sale richer?

I once knew a family that had a $325,000 German Shepherd. The owner, of course, had no idea that the dog had cost them that much money. We sometimes love our pets so much that we lose our objectivity about their impact on property showings, and the way they and their environment affect potential buyers.

Many agents miss the opportunity to take control at the listing table when the pet may affect showings and "salability." Sellers with pets need to be advised of the extra challenges selling a property with a pet can entail. Besides the compromise of your time and expertise, there are a few ground rules that every seller should be advised of, if they are serious about wanting a sale.

Here are some suggestions to help you handle the issues with style and get the property sold:

1. A smart agent will carefully inform the seller that there are those buyers, that will not want to purchase a property that has had a pet living in the property for health-related reasons like allergies and dander sensitivities. Other buyers will be less than enchanted with the evidence of pets in a household, like pet hair, litter boxes, and their odors, or physical damage to a property.

2. Discuss with the seller that many people have high sensitivity to cats. While you don't want to "advertise" that a property has a cat on the premises, it is important to put a non-threatening "warning" sign on the door to avoid a buying prospect from going into an allergic reaction. Ask the seller if it is possible to restrict the animal to one room of the house during the day, and to have the carpeting and furniture cleaned and shampooed often. Even this action may be insufficient for a highly allergic prospect. One agent had to call the paramedics when her buyer had an asthmatic episode after walking into a home that had cats. No one wants a lawsuit or tragedy, so handle with care, and put a note on the door stating that "Fluffy the Feline" or "Candy the Canine" lives here to inform buyers before they enter the property.

3. Get a commitment from the homeowner to keep the area where the pets "live" clean and fresh. Suggest a covered litter box as many buyers are highly sensitive to the dust catboxes generate. Your goal is to strike a harmony between the family with the pets and having the property be pleasant and show well.

4. If the seller has a large and unfriendly dog, ask what can be done during the time the seller is not at home, to make showing the property pleasant and safe for other agents.

5. Be sure the property owner has a consistent and reliable plan for picking up after their animals in the yard.

6. Get a commitment from the property owner to repair, and paint areas that show evidence of pet damage. Damage to doors, garages, carpeting and baseboards are dead giveaways that a pet has impacted a property.

7. A savvy agent will track the number of showing opportunities that were lost because access was denied due to a pet problem. If you are investing your resources into marketing a property that can't be shown due to the "pet" problems, have a meeting with the seller to see what can be done or release the listing. The real estate business is challenging enough without these problems. Address this issue early instead of hoping all works out well.

8. Many buyers love animals and may want to pet the seller's dog or cat. You may want to caution them to avoid this activity, especially when it may involve small children, and an unpredictable pet. Even friendly dogs can surprise an owner when they encounter someone they don't like, or they are exhausted by meeting too many strangers.

9. If the seller restricts property showings to only those times the homeowner is there, then the agent should advise the seller that the marketing time may double. You could very well lose the ability to connect a ready, willing and interested buyer with the property at the time they have to see the property with such restrictions.

10. If the property must have an agent accompany due to the presence of a pet, suggest that there be a minimum of two other family members or neighbors who can "cover" if the agent cannot coordinate personally being there for every showing opportunity. Get the contact information of family members or close neighbors that are dependable, and readily available to cover all showing opportunities for those pets that require "special handling."

11. Use a third-party report (like this article) to leave with a seller that has pets that may present a problem. It takes the heat off the agent and presents useful information to the seller in a supportive way, without making the agent the "hall monitor" in this situation.

12. If you can't get satisfactory cooperation from a seller, re-think investing more of your time, money, and energy into a listing that is difficult to show, shows badly, or is dangerous to your buyers. Lawsuits are unpleasant, time consuming, and avoidable. There are plenty of other properties to market, so why waste time and resources trying to sell one that limits your marketability? Marketing a property professionally requires a team effort between the agent and the property owners.

Don't be hesitant to discuss options to help the family, the pets, and the marketing process a property be a safe and successful endeavor.

Published: March 9, 2005

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