Selling The Apartment? Keep The Dog Around For Showings!

real estate - By Staff Writer on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - 12:06

 We all know dogs can bring love and happiness into our lives but we didn't know they can help us sell our apartment as well.  The NYT spoke with real estate brokers and buyers about the effects of a pet in the apartments up for sale.  While not everyone loves dogs, the message was clear. . . having a well behaved dog in an apartment can help sell the place to the right buyers.

“I’m a big animal lover,” Ms. Ramsay said. “And her presence created a sense of love and family, a sense of belonging. The apartment was beautiful, but what got my attention was the very cute dog that was always bounding around.

Before you make sure your dog is gussied up for showings, make sure you read the following to make sure your dog fits the below characteristics.

Friendly
I think it should go without saying that your dog should be nice, but beyond simply being friendly to most people, your dog should be ok with anyone.  If your dog is territorial in any way and may cause a problem you should take your dog out of the house.  You must remember that your dog may act differently when you are not there, so if your dog is fearful or protective in any way you should not take the risk.

Quiet
You should only leave a quiet dog at home for showings.  Sure a bark when the agent rings the door to check if anyone is home is fine, but a yapping dog that will bark at potential buyers will only make them want to leave.

House Broken
We don't mean that your dog is not house broken at all, but you want to make sure that your pup does not urinate in excitement.  It would not look so great if your dog got so excited she went potty on the hardwood floors.

Does Not Jump
This is particularly important if your dog is medium to large in size.  Prospective buyers may not take kindly to a dog of any size jumping so make sure your pup keeps his feet on the floor.

If your dog fits the above characteristics you should speak with your real estate agent first.  Get your dog groomed often and keep her smelling nice with a dog specific freshening spray.  Walk your dog before any showings and leave a small note on the door letting people know that a friendly dog will be inside.  Have a crate available for the agent if the prospective buyer happens to be afraid of dogs.

Full Article [NYTimes]