The Weaver Team loves pets. Carolyn shares her house with a cat rescued from North Beach in Burlington and Jennie’s dog Maddie looks forward to walks every day. When you put your house on the market it’s important to consider what you’re going to do with your pets for the showings.
Even when you think your pet is calm and well-behaved, Bella or Max may exhibit other behaviors when you are gone. In one case, a good friend of mine listed her house and I was very familiar with her dog, “Buster.” Because I had visited on many occasions, the dog seemed calm and content so I told my friend the dog was no problem and could stay in the home for showings. When I arrived at the house to measure, on my own, “Buster” turned into the Tazmanian Devil. This whirling dervish followed me through the house jumping and barking incessantly. When I tried to leave the house Buster ran out and jumped in my car. Needless to say the poor fellow had just sentenced himself to a day in doggie day care for the showings.
Other pet situations sometimes involve pets escaping when other Realtors arrive at the house. One time, an owner let us know that their cat was shy and would hide. When we arrived and opened the door, the cat charged the door (and us!) and escaped into a hedge. Unfortunately, shaking the dry cat food box and calling, “Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” was futile. The seller had to leave a golf game to rescue Fluffy from the great outdoors.
For those of you who know us, our team is calm and we rarely panic. Recently, though, a Buyer’s Agent texted us from one of our listings asking, “Does the owner have cats? There are two in the yard.” The house had an indoor cat and we posted a sign, “Please Don’t Let the Cat Out.” Two? Outside? Before we could process this another text arrived, “They both have identical collars.” A quick read of the collars showed that the cats were the neighbors. Our seller’s cat was safely inside, asleep on a bed. Phew!
The point is to have a plan for your pets. We specialize in “pet tips” that we have accrued from our years of showing homes with dogs, cats, iguanas, guinea pigs, rabbits, snakes and ferrets. One time there was an empty cage … that’s a whole other blog.