Selling Your Home When You Have Pets

They say a pet makes a house a home, and we couldn’t agree more! Having a fluffy friend or a scaly pal to spend time with can be incredibly rewarding and make home life that much more fulfilling. But here’s the sad truth: As much as you love your pets, other people probably don’t! If you’re planning to sell your house, knowing what to do with your animal friends is critical.

You don’t have to have an aggressive dog or a giant snake to keep potential buyers from seeing the promise of your home. As many as 15% of people have allergies to various pets, and many more people have phobias of different animals. Some people are just uncomfortable around animals for various reasons. Is it worth losing a buyer over something so easily remedied? 

There are two major considerations regarding pets and selling a house: What to do with your home to repair any damage caused by your pet, and how to handle your pets while the house is on the market. We’ll explore both issues and help you make your home as buyer-friendly as possible without sacrificing quality of life for your pets.

Selling a House With Pets: Cleaning & Repairing

Even if you keep your home meticulously clean, pet smells or damage can add up over time. Potential buyers will want to envision themselves in your home – not you and your pets! Taking the time to remove all signs of pets is well worth it when selling your house, and can often be addressed while carrying out other sale-related home repairs and upgrades.

Make sure you pay special attention to these factors:

• Eliminate pet odor. Deep clean your carpets and upholstery, consider air fresheners, and keep areas where pets live free from unpleasant smells.
• Inspect floors for signs of pet damage. In addition to odors, pets can damage flooring. Whether it’s shabby carpet or scratches on hardwood, ensure it’s fixed and in good shape!
• Clean window treatments & furnishings. One area that can absorb odor (or show damage) is your home’s furniture and curtains. Take the time to repair or replace items that have seen better days.
• Make windows sparkle. Ensure you’ve fixed any pet-damaged windowscreens and removed any doggy noseprints from your windows.
• Check baseboards and molding. Excitable and curious pets may have damaged baseboards, doorway molding, and more. Make sure it’s repaired and looks nice!
• Hide beds & toys. Just like you’d keep kids’ toys out of the way when your house is on the market, you’ll want to stash your pets’ toys and beds as well. Consider designating a bin as a “toybox” that you can easily whisk away during showings.
• Keep habitats, litterboxes, and food clean. Ensure that any areas that pets use stay neat and tidy while your home is listed for sale.
• Take care of outdoor spaces. If you have a pet that spends time outdoors, make sure you’re cleaning up after them regularly. Patch any bare spots in your lawn with soil and grass seed if necessary, and make landscaping touch-ups as-needed. 

What to Do With Pets During Home Showings

The next thing to think about if you have pets is what you’ll do with them during showings! You have a few options, but some are more ideal than others. The worst thing you can do is let a pet roam free during showings – your otherwise calm cat may dislike having strangers in the home, for example.

Relocate Your Pet

If you have the option, consider relocating your pet for the entire period that your home is on the market. A family member may be able to take them for a few weeks, or you might consider boarding them. Not only will this help during showings, you’ll also be able to keep your home much cleaner without your pet there.

Head Out of the House

If it’s not feasible to have your pet out of the house entirely, at least try to ensure your pet isn’t home during house showings. If you have a dog, you might find a dog-friendly cafe or park nearby to hang out in. For cats and other critters, camping out in an air-conditioned car may not be fun, but it will keep buyers from being surprised by your pets.

Crated Inside or Outside Your Home

If you have a suitable space outside (like a dog run or a bird aviary) you may be able to have your pets outside during a showing. Other out-of-the-way places like basements or garages may be suitable for a pet in a crate or other habitat. 

Ideally, you’ll be able to secure pets in a familiar habitat or crate. If possible, work with your pets to acclimate them to these spaces in advance of listing your home. 

However, don’t stash pets inside closets or other small spaces – buyers will expect to look through these areas, and being surprised by a pet isn’t a great way to end a house tour. 

Selling Your Home When You Have Pets

While putting your house on the market with pets can be a little more challenging, it’s very doable! After all, every home needs some TLC to look extra-nice when buyers are taking tours. So, just make sure you pay special attention to areas where pets have had an impact, and ensure you’re keeping your loved ones safe during showings!

Looking to list your home this year? Look no further than the local real estate experts at Howard Hanna! Find a real estate professional near you.

Tips to Help Taxpayers Spot and Avoid Scams

Tax season is also busy season for criminals. Scammers impersonating the IRS either over-the-phone, by email or in-person can steal money from people. All taxpayers should stay vigilant against these schemes.

Here are some tips to help people recognize and avoid tax-related scams.

Email phishing scams

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. Generally, the IRS first mails a paper bill to a person who owes taxes. In some special situations, the IRS will call or come to a home or business.

Taxpayers should report IRS, Treasury or tax-related suspicious online or email phishing scams to phishing@irs.gov. They should not open any attachments, click on any links, reply to the sender, or take any other actions that could put them at risk.

Phone scams

The IRS generally first mails a bill to a taxpayer who owes taxes. There are specific ways to pay taxes. The agency and its authorized private collection agencies will not:

• Leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages on an answering system.
• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to arrest the taxpayer for not paying, deport them or revoke their licenses.
• Call to demand immediate payment with a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.
• Ask for checks to third parties.
• Demand payment without giving the taxpayer an opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.

Criminals can fake or spoof caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country. Scammers can even spoof an IRS office phone number or the numbers of various local, state, federal or tribal government agencies.

If a taxpayer receives an IRS or Treasury-related phone call, but doesn't owe taxes and has no reason to think they do, they should:

• Not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
• Report the caller ID and callback number to the IRS by sending it to phishing@irs.gov. The subject line should include "IRS Phone Scam."

If a taxpayer wants to verify what taxes they owe the IRS, they should:

• View tax account information online at IRS.gov.
• Review their payment options.

Questions about this week's tax tip? We can help!

 

www.PadgettToledo.com

Source: Padgett Business Services

Tax Benefits You May Be Entitled To

1. First time homebuyers save your tax refund for a down payment.

2. PMI might be tax deductible.

3. Mortgage interest paid might be tax deductible.

4. Real Estate Taxes paid on primary residence might be able to be itemized on a tax return.

5. What interest rate are you paying on your current mortgage and contact your loan officer for refinance benefits.

6. Do you have a lot of high interest rate credit cards that can be consolidated into a low rate refinance?

   Source: Ruoff Mortgage 

Selling Your Home This Spring? Take Care of These 10 Things Now!

Selling Your Home This Spring? Take Care of These 10 Things Now!