Dogs may be “man’s best friend”, but cats are seldom a Realtor’s best friend! Just as moving is unsettling for people, it is jarring to household pets as well. When planning a move it is important to consider its impact on household pets.
Over the years of selling residential real estate we have had some wonderful stories about cats.
Miss Fiona
Miss Fiona’s family moved, but she did not want to relocate. So, she chose to stay behind. Several attempts were made by the new homeowner to return Miss Fiona to her new home, but Miss Fiona was firm in wanting to stay “at home”. Fortunately for her, the home’s new owner was a cat lover. We did not know this had even happened until some years later when we were contacted by the buyer who now wanted to sell her home. This time Miss Fiona had become more flexible, cherishing the relationship with her owner, and she moved with her “new” owner to a new community.
Please Don’t Let the Cat Out
We once listed a house for sale and the owner informed us that the cat in heat was not to go outside under any circumstances. The day of the Realtor tour arrived and the cat was loose in the house. We vigilantly watched the door to ensure that it was not left open allowing an escape route for the prized pet. At the conclusion of the broker tour, the cat had vanished. One of us searched high and low for the cat, calling out and, in a navy blue suit – a cat fur magnet, crawling around on the floor looking under the furniture, hoping to spot the “beast”! After about an hour-long search while mentally rehearsing the “I lost your cat” speech there was a noise in the laundry room….where something had toppled off of the top shelf, thanks to the cat moving while perched there!
The $25,000 Cat
We’ll bet this has your attention! We once wrote an offer for a family with four children, and it was presented in a multiple offer situation. At the conclusion of the offer presentation we were asked a question: “Do the children like cats?” We must confess that in all of our preparation for this offer, we had never asked this question, but taking the “assumptive approach” (for what child does not like cats?) we responded that surely they did! Our clients’ offer was accepted. It was not until after the close of escrow that we learned from the listing agent that the deceased owner had stipulated that if the house were sold, the cat stayed with the house. Our offer was for $25,000 less than the competing offer, but the other prospective buyers evidently did not like cats! яндекс
Pets enrich our lives in so many ways. When preparing to market your home, there are so many things to do that it’s easy to overlook your pet’s needs. Here are some links to informative websites which will provide you with ideas to support you pet as they relocate:
http://www.moving.com/articles/moving-pets/safely-moving-pets.asp
http://www.collinsdevelopment.com/moving-tips/moving-pets.php
http://cats.about.com/library/guest/ucfeature17a.htm – written from a cat’s point of view!
Carol & Nicole
Alain Pinel Realtors