Getting ready to Sell - when you have pets- Ideas to make your "For Sale" Home look and smell pet free

TRULIA'S BLOG \ Real Estate 101  By Sabrina Rojas Weiss

Furry creatures may currently live in your home, 

but you don’t want pet odor to scare off potential buyers.

Do you refer to your pet as one of your children? 

It’s OK; you’re not alone. 

But this unconditional love is likely not a sentiment all who visit your home share, particularly if they stand up from the couch and discover their once-black pants are now covered in stinky doggie fur.

While most guests will likely shrug off their new fur coat or suggest a coffee 

shop for your next get-together, potential buyers may not be so forgiving.

When you put your home on the market, pet odor could deter buyers or 

reduce offer amounts. 

These easy tricks and tips will help distract potential buyers from pet odor, 

messes, and damage.

1. Rubber glove treatment

Put on a damp rubber glove and rub over furniture; the static electricity   

created will help remove fur quite easily.

2. Duct tape solves everything

You choose: Purchase 15 lint rollers to pick up fur from couches and car  

seat, or go D I Y and wrap duct tape, sticky side up, around a paint roller.  

You'll be able to cover more surface area with the paint roller, which can 

help remove pet hair from carpet or upholstery.

3. Squeegee power

Sometimes vacuuming is no match for the fur buried deep down in the  

living room rug.  Amazingly, a window squeegee can do the trick.

4. Better bitter

To stop dogs and cats from chewing on furniture or — zzzzt! — power   

cords, you can purchase Bitter Apple spray, or make your own DIY spray  

by mixing white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar.

5. Stick ’em up

This special double-stick tape will annoy cats enough to make them avoid   

using your furniture as a scratching post. (regular double-stick tape should 

do the trick too.)

6. Leave the mud outside

Keep unscented baby wipes in your entryway to wipe your dog’s paws after  

he's played outside in the mud. 

7. Smell check

Before you list your home, you might want to invite over an exceptionally  

honest friend who can tell you if your home smells like wet dog or a very  

well-decorated litter box. Don’t kid yourself; you’ve likely become nose-blind 

to the stench- you need this friend to tell you the truth.

8. Clean those rugs (and clean them again)

You can’t control pet accidents, and sometimes they happen right before  

potential buyers arrive. Baking soda does wonders for neutralizing odors.  

Sprinkle a thin layer over carpets and let it set overnight; vacuum in the 

morning for a fresh scent.

9. Litter on the barbecue

The worst pet odor offender is undoubtedly the litter box. Activated charcoal   

can help absorb the ammonia like scent of an active litter box. But since it’s   

black and sooty, you don’t want to add it to the litter. Instead, fill a dish near 

the box with charcoal.

10. Clean ears = happy noses

If your dog is prone to stinky ears, clean them regularly with a solution of   

vinegar and alcohol. Clean ears will keep your carpets and furniture smelling 

cleaner too.

11. Trunk no-show

The Internet is flooded with instructions on how to customize old trunks, new 

IKEA storage units, and built-in cabinets into excellent litter box and dog crate 

camouflage.

12. Play date

Consider asking a friend or neighbor to have your fur babies over to play the  

day of your showing. Also, be sure to put away pet toys and pet photos. You   

shouldn't lie to potential buyers about furry creatures living there, but you don’t                                        

want any unnecessary reminders around either.

- See more at: http://www.trulia.com/blog/12-hacks-make-your-for-sale-home-look-smell-pet-free/#sthash.AcB67O4N.dpuf