Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal lover, and most people are.  However, when it comes to getting your home ready for sale there’s a silent but serious element that affects the value of your home, and it’s one that rarely shows up as a line item in a market analysis.  The culprit – pet odor.  Does pet odor really affect the value of the property, you ask.  The answer is yes, because some buyers in your price range will not consider your home simply because they don’t know how to fix the smell.   The value of your home is always determined by the size and scope of the buying pool.  If buyers are eliminated by the pet smell, your value goes down.  It’s also a good idea to eliminate pet order in advance of showings so that you don’t give potential buyers a reason to offer less than asking price.  That being said, here are some tips for eliminating pet odor smells.

1. Enzymatic Smell Removers: Get Serious is one such enzymatic smell remover; you saturate the area then blot it away (buy tons of paper towels if you have large area). You must blot and blot and blot and blot (with a fair amount of pressure). Once it’s as dry as you just leave it. It may not seem like it’s working for about 24 hours but once a day or two passes you will notice the smell is gone. OutSpot is another enzymatic smell remover that typically works well.
2. Kilz: If you are working on an enclosed area, like a finished basement, or a room where the animals typically spent a lot of time, the smell may have seeped into the drywall.  In such a case, many home owners have had great success painting the walls with a product like Kilz that seals the drywall so that the odors are no longer released into the area.
3. Carpet Removal: Sometimes if the odor is really strong, the real estate agent may recommend removing the carpet and replacing it all together.  Sometimes carpet cleaning can do the trick but if the carpet has been sharing space with the family pets for decades, the only way to get rid of the smell is through carpet replacement.  If you think that the cost for that is too high, just remember that a an offer that comes in 5% lower than asking price because of the pet odor may cost you a lot more.

Many home owners feel they can alleviate the situation by lighting candles and putting air fresheners in every room. Often times this makes the problem even worse.  Usually they do little, if anything, to cover the smell, and sometimes they even bring a spotlight to the problem. When it comes to pet odors, the best thing you can do is have a candid conversation with your real estate agent.  Your agent will talk to you about all of your options to get you the best possible price for your home.

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