We love our pets. It’s impossible to conceive of your home without them there, ready to have their head scratched and belly rubbed. And while dogs have long been considered man’s best friend, sadly, they aren’t always a house’s best friend. As a matter of fact, pet’s can really affect the resale value of a home to significant consequence. So, before you run out to the shelter and pick up Fluffy number four, check out these three big ways a furry friend affects a home:

1) Their Gifts- A new puppy can be the cutest addition to the family, but until he’s house broken, he can leave some additions that aren’t so cute. Cat and dog urine, when it gets on carpet and walls, can leave a significant odor that more than likely won’t follow you out after you leave the house. That odor in itself can be enough of a deterrent for a home buyer who, unlike you, doesn’t love your pet or its smells. This can also be said for any sort of destruction, whether it scratched walls or even a chewed up door stopper (strange things happen when pets are left home alone), will seriously affect the value of your home. As a matter of fact, an article from Time Magazine talked about a condo that sold for $20,000-30,000 less than it could have if it had been without the affects of a cat! If you decide to sell your home, be sure to clean or remove soiled carpets and professionally treat any damage done by the animals.

2) Their Presence- It doesn’t matter how friendly your Akita is, if it’s allowed to run loose during a showing, it’s effectively killing the sale on your house. Some people simply don’t like pets, and though it’s hard to remember, not everyone knows, or cares for that matter, how sweet your cat is. During the actual selling of a home, it’s best to remove all possible evidence that a pet was ever in the house. Store away litter boxes and food dishes, hide the pictures from last Christmas and take the pets to a friend or family member’s house for a couple hours. If a potential buyer doesn’t like pets for any reason, be it fear, allergies or mere distrust, they will be unable to picture your home as their own if the walk-through involves your pooch in their view.

3) They’re a Liability- This one has less to do with home value, and more to do with home insurance value. Though people normally think of home insurance as pertaining to fires and natural disasters, pets are definitely factored into the insurance price of a home. In particular, if you have a dog whose breed is considered particularly dangerous or aggressive, you may have to pay a higher premium. It really doesn’t matter how sweet and loving your pooch is; any possible disaster has to be taken into account, and your pet, no matter the temperament, could be the bearer of bad events.

If you want more advice, check out this video by Richard Iarossi; experience straight from a realtor’s mouth.

Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have pets or that there isn’t anything you can do to offset a pet’s affects. For example, many insurance companies will lower a premium if you take a dog to obedience classes, similar to that of a car insurance dealer lowering a teenager’s insurance cost after they take driving classes. The best thing a homeowner can do is be conscious of their pets behavior and do what they can to make both the pet, and their home, happy and well taken care of!

We love pets, but they can lead to a negative home-selling experience! Have you ever come across a difficult dog or cat in real estate?