08/07/2026
One of the biggest pieces of advice I give sellers with pets is this:
For the next 30 days, your house needs to look like nobody's pet lives there.
I know how that sounds.
I have pets. I get it.
But buyers don't fall in love with your pets the way you do.
Before every photo and every showing, put these away:
The bed. The bowls. The bag of food sitting open in the pantry. The toys scattered by the back door.
Anything that tells a buyer "someone's dog lives here" needs to disappear for an hour.
Here's why this matters more than people think.
I walked a buyer through a home last month. Nice kitchen, good light, solid layout. Then we opened a cabinet near the laundry room and there it was โ an open bag of dog food.
That buyer stopped talking about the kitchen. She started talking about the smell.
Once a buyer notices an odor, it's the only thing they remember about the showing. Doesn't matter what else the house has going for it.
Same story with cats, just a different routine.
If the cat has to stay home during showings, fine. But the box gets scooped before every single one. Not "when you remember." Before every showing.
Here's the part sellers don't want to hear: you can't smell your own house anymore. None of us can. You've lived there too long.
So don't trust your nose. Ask me. Ask a neighbor. Ask anyone who hasn't been in your house in a month. Get the honest version, not the version you're used to.
On listing day, I actually help my sellers box up the pet beds and bowls and toys and move them to the garage before the photographer shows up. Every time.
Because the less a buyer thinks about your pet...
the more they think about buying your house.
Real talk โ have you ever walked through a home and gotten distracted by a smell or a pet toy in the middle of the floor? Did it change how you felt about the place?
Comment PETS and I'll send you my full pre-showing pet checklist.
