Often when I am out viewing homes with buyers, appointments become memorable…for all of the wrong reasons. Every realtor probably has a top 10 list of his or her most memorable showings. This is a list you really don’t want to be on because the top 10 are memorable for all the wrong reasons, like finding people asleep in their beds when you think the house is empty.
There are a lot of homes for buyers to consider in the current local real estate market, with lower-end properties moving better than anything else. It is a true buyers’ market, so if you’re selling be careful to be remembered for all of the right reasons.
Here are some of my most memorable experiences from showing properties to potential homebuyers.
Just the other day, I entered a home with a couple and we were prepared to go through the entire house- one among a handful listed for sale in the same neighbourhood. We did not get further than the foyer. Two small but fiercely growling dogs greeted us- I have had a few bad experiences with dogs in my lifetime, and was not about to take a chance with these two, and neither were my clients. The buyers did not see the home, and were not interested in scheduling a new appointment.
A very nice professional young woman was out last week to view homes, her goal was to invest in a property with rental potential. She had a great fear of dogs and I was very careful not to show her any homes where there were dogs at the house during appointments. She was very interested in a particular townhouse, and we went to see it a second time. On the first visit, the owners had arranged to take their dog for a walk while we were there, however for this second visit chose to leave their dog tied in the backyard. The young woman stayed for less than two minutes and purchased another townhouse around the corner. She told me that she could not get the association of the dog with that house out of her head.
On a different note, a pet doesn’t have to be intimidating to turn people off of buying a particular home. There was the time that I was in a house where the owners’ two beautiful large dogs had been left loose in the house. The buyers were dog lovers, and had expressed no problem with seeing the house with the dogs there as we had been assured that they were very friendly. However, as we proceeded with the viewing, the dogs followed us everywhere, licking and slobbering all over us at every opportunity. It was not fun, and we didn’t stay there very long.
Then there is the issue of smell- the way a house smells is very important. Do not try to cover up a dog, cat or other pet smell with Fabreeze or perfume. People come into the house and what they smell is pet odour AND the perfume. It can even cause some people to have difficulty breathing, and generally results in the prospective buyers and their realtor running for the door for a breath of fresh air. Eliminate pet odours properly so that people can spend some time concentrating on the house.
The top two memorable experiences for me involve two very sad situations, which I immediately reported. A few years ago, I was in a home where there were many cats- the cats were not too bad and pretty much kept to themselves. We reached the basement and could hear sounds from the laundry room. I carefully opened the door- it was pitch dark inside and the puppy which had been making the sounds we heard began to whine in earnest. Upon finally finding the light switch, we saw this poor little dog in a crate, and we guessed (correctly upon further inquiry) that this was how this puppy spent his days. We left the house feeling unsettled and disturbed. The second situation involved a beautiful young dog who was being kept tied every day in a dark, cold garage- it was wintertime- surrounded by filth.
Very recently I was with a client and the home we were looking at was showing very well, until we went to see the backyard. We were unable to enter the yard- a large dog was tied there and stood at the back door barking at us. The yard itself was a mix of dirt, holes, dog waste and little patches of grass. Oh well….
On the bight side, I have seen so many homeowners who have gone out of their way to be accommodating about pets when their house is listed for sale- there are many options available such as arranging for appointments when the owners are able to take the dog(s) out for a walk, or keep their dog in a crate for that short length of time. A pet-loving homeowner will often opt to have their pet stay with a friend, relative or reputable kennel for the duration of their listing period until their house is sold. It can seem a daunting task to make these arrangements, but a house will not sell for top price when there are pets leaving realtors and potential buyers with a ‘memorable’ experience.
Tammy Dufault
Century 21 BJ Roth Realty Ltd.
