A Quicken study found that most buyers (79%) will consider buying a home that has pets, and some even see it as a positive sign about the owner.
NEW YORK – Hiding pets and their possessions is common advice for owners trying to sell their homes, but a study from Quicken Loans suggests that it’s not a big deal to most homebuyers. In some cases when buyers are also pet lovers, it may even help.
However, that love for animals doesn’t include the occasional side effects of pet ownership, including smells and damage to the home.
In the study, 79% of buyers making an offer say signs of a pet in a property won’t deter them, as long as damage from the pet isn’t present, according to the study. Almost 20% of respondents said that signs of pets would even increase their desire to make an offer if there was no damage to the property.
That’s good news to homeowners with pets, and it counters a long-held idea in real estate that any signs of a pet could jeopardize a sale. Pet ownership has been increasing; about 70% of American households own pets as of this year. That percentage is up from 56% in 1988.
While fondness for pets is growing, there can still be a wild card in a real estate sale: the neighbor’s pet. The survey found that there’s about a 50-50 chance a neighbor’s barking dog would cause buyers to regret making an offer on a home. Dog owners are a bit more forgiving of a nearby barking dogs, but cat owners are more likely to regret making an offer on a home near a neighbor’s dog barks.
Still, while a neighbor’s dog could create some regrets, only about 10% of the respondents said the problem it big enough to make them wish they submitted an offer on a different home altogether.
Americans have also been more focused on their pets and may are hunting for pet-friendly home features, according to a survey conducted in 2020 by the National Association of Realtors®. When it comes to the house pet-conscious clients often seek, the most frequent requests are hardwood floors and a fenced backyard.
Source: “Your Pet Won’t Deter 79% of Home Buyers – But Your Neighbor’s Might,” Quicken Loans (March 3, 2022)
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