Dog GONE It! Please Leave Canines Out of the Photos ~ Home Staging Tips

Don’t misunderstand … I come from a family of dog lovers and have had the good fortune to have had wonderful dogs most of my life. But if my house was on the market, there would be no online photos of my dog, and little evidence of them living in the house, once potential buyers came in person.

Why?  Because potential buyers may be allergic to pets, or they may be afraid of dogs.  If a buyer sees dogs in the online photos, right away they imagine that the house may not be as clean as they’d like … or that the house smells like a dog … or that the yard might be dug up or messy. Any of these reasons may prevent a buyer from putting your home on their “must see” list.

A Portland home staging client of mine was shocked to find out that their agent put these photos of 3 of their dogs online (which have since been removed) — it’s likely that photos like this could discourage showings.

If you have a dog & your house is on the market, here’s some tips for better showings:

• Vacuum & Dust all surfaces often

• Hide the dog beds, blankets & toys

• Put the food & water dishes out of sight

• Shampoo & brush your dog weekly 

• Air out the house before showings, if possible

• Take the dog out of the house during showings

• Keep the yard clean of dog debris

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Room Solutions Staging offers home staging services to Portland Oregon homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks,  and investors to prepare homes for the market.  Our home staging clients love our customer service and our home staging statistics!  Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and lived-in homes, and interior restyling service.  For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.