Can Pets Hurt a Home Sale?

Homeowners often wonder, Can pets hurt a home sale? Here’s a story that will help answer that question. 
Dogs do the darndest things when they're bored. Take Squishy, for instance. Lauren came home late one night from her job as a nurse to find that Squishy –her usually well-mannered dog – had torn her sofa to shreds, right down to the woody skeleton. Squishy had enough time to not only disassemble the sofa but also to chew up the living room baseboards. While a ruined sofa won't impact a home's value, gnarled-on baseboards most definitely will. 

Americans Love Their Pets
Over 43 million American households own a dog, and over 36 million own at least one cat, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. It's unclear how many of these households are owner-occupied and how many rented, but since 65.5 percent of Americans own their homes, it's probably safe to say that many pet owners are also homeowners.

The various dog-shaming websites prove that pets behaving badly is sometimes funny – especially if it's someone else's pet acting up. When it's your cat or a neighbor's pooch committing the atrocities, though, you may pay dearly with a lowered resale value on your home.

Impact on Home Value
Time business and money writer Brad Tuttle claims that pets "can potentially do pretty much the same thing to your home's value that some pets do on the rug." He goes on to credit a New England real estate agent for determining that owning a pet may have a negative impact on your home's resale value.

As evidence, the agent cited a cat owner's condo that sold for up to $30,000 less than it should have because of damage caused by the pets.

Then, there's the noise factor. Whining, barking dogs in a neighborhood can bring down resale home values by between 5 to 10 percent, Appraisal Institute's Richard L. Borges tells Business Insider.

There isn't much you can do about a neighbor's dog, but there is plenty you can do about your own.

De-Pet Your Home
Just as you'll need to clean and declutter your home before it goes on the market, you'll also need to de-pet it. This involves getting rid of not only any damage the pet has caused, but also the hair, stains and, most of all, odors.

Start by getting rid of the hair. You'll need a heavy-duty vacuum for the job. Consider having the upholstered furniture dry-cleaned, launder or dry-clean the drapes, and shampoo the carpets.

Carpet: The Stink Magnet
Cat urine in the carpet is one of the hardest odors to get rid of, according to Neeraj Gupta, director of product research and development at ServiceMaster Clean. "Oftentimes," he tells MSN's Marcie Geffner, "you have to remove the carpet, remove the pad and seal the floor, and then replace the carpet and the pad."

If you think you can fix the problem by shampooing the carpet, you may want to pay close attention to those areas your pet chooses to use as a restroom.

First, though, you'll need to find those spots. Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate says that not all of the spots will be visible to the naked eye. He suggests that you consider purchasing a battery-powered ultraviolet light – also known as a black light. They are inexpensive and, used in a totally dark room, can pinpoint every bodily fluid that has landed on the carpet.

Other Flooring
If you have a hard-surface floor, you may think you've squeaked by the pet-odor problem. Think again. Even some hard surfaces can absorb urine. You'll need a chemical deodorizer and cleaner to rid the floor of the odor. If it lingers, you may need to strip and repaint, varnish or otherwise seal the floor.

Walls
If you own a dog, you are probably familiar with how they seem to love rubbing against the walls. Walk through your home with your eyes cast on walls and interior doors at doggy height and you'll no doubt notice discolored areas. Sometimes a Magic Eraser will remove the marks. If you've lived in the home for a long time, you may need to repaint to remove the doggy odor.

Cats like walls too – especially male cats, who tend to spray vertical surfaces, such as the backs of chairs and walls, according to the experts at Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Ask your veterinarian what she recommends to clean and deodorize the walls.

Showings
Your real estate agent will suggest that you not be home during showings. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most significant is that buyers are more relaxed if the homeowner isn't hanging around.

The National Association of Realtors® suggests removing the pet from the home during showings as well. If you'll be home, this is easy, just take the dog for a walk or drive.

If you will be working during showings, you'll need to come up with an alternative for your pet. Here are a few places to take your dog during showings:

Doggie Daycare – This one is ideal. The dog gets a day of socializing and playing, and potential buyers get to tour the home in solitude.

Groomer – An obvious win-win.

Veterinarian – Use the opportunity to get the dog or cat a checkup and shots.

Professional Dog Walker – Hire a dog walker to remove the dog from the home during showings.

Life is chaotic and full of unexpected events when your house is on the market. It's important to remain flexible and accommodate last-minute showings if you want to get the home sold. While pets may be members of the family, they are distractions to buyers, so it's important to decide beforehand how you'll deal with them while the home is for sale.

If you have any questions about selling a home or any other real estate questions for the Sullivan & Sullivan team, please contact us here.

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How to Avoid Buying a Money Pit

There's an old saying that a boat is nothing more than a hole in the water that you pour your money into. Boats are expensive – from the purchase to the ongoing maintenance – and boat owners throw a lot of money into that hole. If that's true, then it's easy to imagine a house being a hole in the ground, ready to swallow a fortune. Sadly, many of them are just that, but it doesn't have to be that way. If you're house hunting, it's easy to be swayed by design features and miss the red flags that signal the home may just be a money pit. So, how do you avoid buying a money pit?

Evidence of Deferred Maintenance
Ah, real estate lingo. Get ready to learn a whole new language as you go through the real estate transaction. One of the terms you may frequently hear, especially from your agent and home inspector, is "deferred maintenance."

Deferred maintenance is, simply, the putting off of routine home maintenance. Whether because of procrastination or lack of funds, many homeowners fail to perform the tasks that a house requires to remain in good condition.

For instance, failing to replace a cracked or broken wax ring on a toilet can lead to huge repair bills. Caught early, it's a relatively inexpensive fix. If not attended to, however, moisture will seep from the toilet, intruding into the flooring and even the subfloor. Mold may form. Before you know it, you're looking at not only fixing the toilet but replacing the flooring as well.

Let's take a look at some signs that a homeowner has put off performing routine but critical maintenance:

Cracks in the walls – Although this may be just a result of natural home shifting, a crack in the wall may be a symptom of a larger problem. Vertical cracks are typically harmless. Horizontal cracks, or jagged cracks that run at an angle, on the other hand, deserve closer inspection. These may indicate foundation shifting or water damage.

Ceiling stains – Stains on the ceiling are common and indicate a problem somewhere above the stain. The problem may be a roof leak or defective chimney flashing, allowing rain and snow to seep through.

Ceiling stains may also indicate condensation. If the stain is near the bathroom's exhaust fan, condensation is most likely the culprit, and an uninsulated duct in the attic may be the cause.

Then, there is the obvious plumbing leak. If an upstairs bathroom is located above the stain there may be a leak in the tub, toilet or sink. Press your toes around the floor along the edge of the toilet's base. If it feels spongy, the toilet may be leaking. A home inspector has a tool to test a stain to determine if it is wet or dry. A dry stain means that the problem no longer exists while a wet stain means the problem persists.

Firewood piles – If you live in a region where wood-destroying pests are a problem, such as California, the Pacific Northwest and Michigan, a pile of firewood acts as a magnet for them. If that wood pile is stacked against the side of a house, there is a chance that the home may be infested with termites. A pest inspector is your best resource if you suspect there may be wood-destroying pest damage in a home.

Musty odors – Many houses contain hidden health hazards, and one of the biggest is indoor air pollution. Some pollutants, such as radon gas, are impossible to detect by smell and require the help of a professional. Others, such as mold, are sometimes either visually evident or you can smell them. Mold is one of the most common indoor air pollutants, and we inhale the spores every time we take a breath. If the air smells musty, there is most likely mold somewhere in the home. Hire a certified mold inspector to go through the home before signing on the dotted line.

Sticking doors and windows – Open and close all interior windows and doors in the house. If they stick and aren't painted shut, it may be an indication of the foundation shifting. Look at the top of the sticking doors for a gap. This is another indication of the same problem.

While you can never completely eliminate risk when you buy a home, you can reduce it by exercising "due diligence," another of those terms you'll hear bandied about during the home-buying process. Due diligence simply describes your duty to investigate the condition of the property before you buy it. Many homebuyers rely on professional home inspectors to fulfill this aspect of their investigation, and there is nothing wrong with that. By knowing what to look for, however, you can guide your home inspector to those areas of the home that you think require extra scrutiny.

One final note: Certain types of deferred maintenance may sabotage your mortgage loan during the appraisal. Something as simple as broken or cracked windows can hold up an FHA-backed loan, and signs of larger problems, such as water damage and suspected mold infestations may cause a lender to demand further investigation and even repairs prior to closing.

If you are a buyer looking for a home and want a professional that can help you avoid a Money Pit, contact the Sullivan Team for some solid home buying advice. Also if want to sell your home and avoid being labeled as a Money Pit, contact the Sullivan Team for some solid home selling advice.

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