Selling your home may come with a lot of obstacles, especially if you haven't had a deep clean done in many years. The task of cleaning becomes even more expensive if you have a dog, often presenting additional problems you have to work around in order for you to display your home in the best light possible. Before simply scheduling the first open house, consider the following tips so that your home can be ready for potential home buyers.
Make Arrangements for Where Your Dog Will Stay
One of the easiest ways to make sure that your home is ready for visitors during an open house is by having your dog stay elsewhere. While it may not be possible to have a friend or family member watch your dog, there is always daycare or overnight dog boarding available somewhere nearby. With this arrangement, you can take your time staging the home and showing it for a day or even longer if needed.
Get Your Home Professionally Cleaned Ahead of Time
The most effective way of displaying your home in the right way is by getting it cleaned professionally before the open house. It can be a lot of work to clean the carpet, remove pet hair from furniture, and otherwise spot clean your home, making it ideal for you to leave the work to professional cleaners. You could use a company like ALPS Professional Services to get the job done.
Put Dog Supplies in Storage Temporarily
While you may love having a dog bed, toys, and other pet supplies around your home so that your dog is happy, potential homebuyers likely don't want to see this kind of mess. Gathering together all of the dog supplies and storing them under a bed or in a closet can help make your home appear much cleaner and less cluttered.
Touch Up Paint on Door Frames if Necessary
It's likely that your dog has scratched up the door frames from trying to get outside or after being trapped in a room, making it a good idea to touch up any paint or perhaps even fill in some of the deeper scratches with some sort of wood filler or putty.
Freshen Up the Smell with Deodorizers
Pets can create bad odors in any home, so it is a good idea to look into how you could deodorize before anyone arrives to the open house. After professional cleaners have cleaned your home, consider using an essential oil diffuser and opening the windows to allow good air circulation so that the home smells great on the day of the open house.
As an owner of a dog, you need to take a few extra steps to ensure that your home is ready for your open house.
