Half of all households own a dog, according to surveys, including the Census bureau. Yes, they count animals, too. If you include cats and other pets, the total approaches 75 percent. Dogs slightly outnumber cats in popularity but both dogs and cats account for more than 50 million pets. These animals are often considered part of the family. A pet friendly home increases the value.
What makes a home pet friendly? Santa Barbara, Montecito and Goleta have many dog parks and beaches. Your yard may be large enough for walking a dog, but more often dog walking is a neighborhood element. A pet friendly home usually has doggy doors, or a dog run and cat owners may have catwalks that are fully fenced.
If your house does not have these elements, you can research how easy it would be a add them. It is worthwhile to think about how a pet owner would approach your home, since many will be considering whether it will work for them.
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How would your home be viewed by a pet owner? The same things that make a home pet friendly are the ones that make your home toddler friendly. Is there an easy place to walk or stroll? Is the back yard fenced? Pet owners constitute an enormous group of home buyers. The specifics of how your home is pet friendly can make a difference in who chooses to purchase it.
Some homes are more pet friendly than others. You will want to know what appeals to pet owners and have it be part of your marketing. In my experience, people don’t emphasize the pet friendly elements in their marketing as much as they could. Some people so love their pets that this determines which house they buy.
I recently had a buyer with two dogs. They found a home they thought was overpriced but it was in an area that they thought would be good for walking their dogs. At their current stage of life,the dogs were much more important than their children who were off to college. I took them fora walk with their dogs to a nearby park. Once they saw how convenient it would be to keep their dogs happy, they were sold on the house. The dog friendliness of the location made the home more valuable for them, since it was a perfect fit for their current “family.”
When selling your house I can help you accentuate the pet friendly features. There are also many inexpensive things you can do to make your home more pet friendly. I’d be happy to talk with you about that.
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