Pet Owners: 7 Things You Need to Do Before a Showing

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Pet Owners: 7 Things You Need to Do Before a Showing

October 19th, 2020 by Joyner Fine Properties

Showing a Home with Pets

Are you thinking about listing your home this year? There are a lot of great Richmond homes for sale right now! If you want to get the best possible offer, you'll need to do everything you can to make sure your property stands out from the crowd.

Our real estate agents work with many sellers who consider their pets to be a part of the family. Unfortunately, not all buyers agree. While it doesn't take much extra effort for pet owners to prepare their homes, there are a few things you'll want to do.

Hide the Evidence
Two of the most important words to remember when preparing your home to sell are "declutter" and "depersonalize." This goes for your pet's belongings as well. Before showing your home, remove all pet beds, toys, crates, scratching posts, and litter boxes. Wash your pet's food and water bowls and put them out of sight. Before you leave the house, take one final look to ensure you've removed all evidence that a pet lives there.

Deep Clean
When you're a pet lover, you tend to stop noticing things like cat hair on throw rugs or drool slingers on baseboards. However, we can promise you that potential buyers will notice. It's a great idea to hire a professional to deep clean your entire home, including steam cleaning the carpets and scrubbing the baseboards. Also, make sure to wash any blankets, throw pillows, curtains, and comforters, as they often hold onto hair and odors.

Get Rid of Odors
Don't make the mistake of simply trying to mask odors with perfume spray or candles. Instead, use a neutralizing enzyme cleaner or a pet-specific deodorizer. You'll also want to change your air filter and consider adding an air purifier in the most-used rooms. Lastly, it's a great idea to invite a friend over or ask your real estate agent to stop by and give the house an honest sniff. This is the best way to ensure that you've fully eliminated any pet odors.

Repair Damage
Scratches on your door frames damaged floors, and shredded furniture are all dead giveaways that there has been a pet in the home. Fix door scratches with wood filler and paint and remove or replace any damaged furniture or fabrics. If you have badly damaged hardwood floors, consider having them sanded down and refinished.

Clean Up the Yard
Obviously, you'll want to do a thorough job of cleaning up any areas outdoors where your dog does his business. However, the work doesn't stop there. You'll also want to fix any holes in the yard, paint over claw marks on your fence, and remove any plants that have been damaged.

Remove Pets During Showing
As soon as you decide to list your home, start thinking about where you'll take your pet during showings. Having strangers in the home can be stressful for your pet, and buyers will have a hard time concentrating if the dog is barking or the cat is scratching on the basement door.

Don't Forget About the Neighbor's Pets
A dog yapping relentlessly next door or growling over the fence won't do you any favors. You won't always be able to do anything about this, but if you're on good terms with your neighbors, consider letting them know you're having a showing and asking them to keep their pets indoors while the potential buyers are there.

Selling your home is easy when you have a great real estate agent by your side! Contact us today to get started.

Categories: Home Selling

Tags: open houses, Richmond, Richmond neighborhoods, Home maintenance, Home improvement

Related Markets: Richmond

©Joyner Fine Properties - Seller will consider paying buyer agent compensation based upon the terms and conditions of any offer made. Said compensation to be negotiated in the purchase agreement. Disclaimer: All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumers personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Information on this site was last updated 03/02/2026. The listing information on this page last changed on 03/02/2026. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of Delta Media Group MLS (last updated Mon 03/02/2026 4:23:40 PM EST) or CAAR MLS (last updated Mon 03/02/2026 4:10:48 PM EST) or CVRMLS (last updated Mon 03/02/2026 4:19:06 PM EST) or Bright MLS (last updated Mon 03/02/2026 4:18:22 PM EST). Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Joyner Fine Properties may be marked with the Internet Data Exchange logo and detailed information about those properties will include the name of the listing broker(s) when required by the MLS. All rights reserved.

©Joyner Fine Properties - Seller will consider paying buyer agent compensation based upon the terms and conditions of any offer made. Said compensation to be negotiated in the purchase agreement.
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Agency License Information: Joyner Fine Properties and its agents are licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Pet Owners: 7 Things You Need to Do Before a Showing

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