As a pet owner, I most certainly recognize the enjoyment that pets can bring to the family home. But, irrespective of how cherished a dog or cat may be, when a pet owner is trying to market a house, the pet’s presence can create unanticipated difficulties.

When buyers and their agents want to view a house, the presence of a pet can introduce problems that make it seem less appealing than other competing homes. Here are some examples of typical situations which can arise when pets are involved.

1. If sellers want to be notified prior to a showing so that they may make alternative arrangements for their animals, potential buyers may lower the house’s priority on their list of properties to view. It’s simply more convenient to view a home when there are no scheduling issues.

2. Likewise, if sellers have special instructions for dealing with pets, such as “put the dog in the garage” or “don’t let the cat go outside”, buyers might decide that it is more convenient to view alternative properties first. In today’s extremely competitive market, anything that makes a showing complicated is a negative factor.

3. A noisy dog will, of course, be a potential detriment. No matter how friendly the dog truly is, buyers who are not at ease with dogs may have concerns regarding their personal safety. Even calm dogs who are overly friendly might be stressful to potential buyers and may reduce the length of time they spend within the house. The more time that a buyer stays in a home, the more likely they are to be considering making an offer.

4. The presence of an animal on the property can negatively have an effect on a showing. I once had a showing of a property where the sellers left the house but didn’t take their dog with them. Instead, the dog was left within the fenced-in backyard. The home was just right for my buyer as his hobby was woodworking and the house included a separate woodshop building. Unfortunately, since his wife was terrified by dogs – and the shop was located in the backyard – they never even took a look at it.

5. Pets can create odor issues irrespective of how sanitary the house might be. Pet owners get used to the odors and might not even notice them. But, buyers who are unaccustomed to living with pets can be turned off for concern that they might never completely eliminate the offensive odor. Ask your friends or your agent to give you an candid assessment of any odors that they notice when entering your home – then take action to eliminate them.

Naturally, not all animals are a potential hindrance to the sale of a property. An aquarium or caged birds might improve the decor and ambiance and could even be considered as exotic. And, of course, if you’re selling a farm or horse property, the presence of horses would undoubtedly be a plus.

While animal lovers might not realize the presence of pets to be a problem, it’s prudent to do everything possible to make sure that buyers who don’t seem to be “animal people” are not unintentionally excluded from the pool of potential buyers.

Jim Navary has been a freelance writer and researcher for more than thirty years reporting on a broad variety of subjects. He is also a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia specializing in Fort Lee VA real estate and Colonial Heights VA homes for sale.