Showing Property if You Own Pets

There is nothing worse than getting to a showing and hearing a growl from behind the front door! It has happened more than once and I have to call the listing agent and tell him or her that we are not seeing the property after all.

Once, a cat started growling and when I talked softly to it, it leapt at me! Another time, one jumped from under a bed and grabbed a client's leg.

Another difficult aspect of pet owning is... stinky litter box or stinky dog smell. We all love our pets, but let's face it, sometimes they have an odor about them.

What should you do? For your dog, either come early and take the dog for a ride, or put a child gate across the boiler room or another room in the basement and leave them there. Be sure to put a sign up on the kitchen counter letting the agent know that the dog is safely behind a gate. A crate is a great solution. Again, leave a note for the showing agent.

Keep the litter box clean and fresh and leave it in a far corner of the basement. I've seen it in the bathroom before and that is not very inviting. Another bad place to leave it is at the bottom of the basement stairs.

Not much you can do about attack cats if that is what you have, other than leaving a note to "ignore the cat." Most agents are not afraid of cats, but the dogs can be serious threats if they are protecting the house. Best to take the really aggressive ones out of the house.

On another note, a friendly old Golden Retriever type can make new buyers feel at home. There is nothing sweeter than a wagging tail in your "new home."