# Selling a House with Kids Pets **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643 "2011-01-31T13:55:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/21 "2011-02-01T18:09:13Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Judging by the OP’s username, I would hazard a guess that certain, uh, items should most definitely be put away… 🙂 > > If you need to sell so quickly, why isn’t it on the market already? It appears that there is a significant premium for houses new to the market. Thus it makes good sense to have the house ready to show the day it is opened, and not wait a few weeks. The people we bought our house from put the house on the market and then decided to renovate it, so when we saw it it had been on the market for months. We got a very good deal thanks to this. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/22 "2011-02-01T23:03:03Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > off topic, but may I ask: why does a house have to look like a museum to sell? > When I go house shopping, I _prefer_ to see how a family lives there.. > A normal, day-to-day “mess” is fine with me. I want to actually see the details, not try to imagine what it will look like. Most people who are shopping for a house have zero imagination. When my SO and I look at a house, we’re looking at the basics of it. Is the foundation stable? Are the walls cracked? Are there signs of water damage? How does the flow of the house work? Can we move walls and make it what we want? But for an astounding number of people, it’s all about the surface impressions. I don’t like the paint, I like that sofa, the lights are too dim. The last time we sold a house, the buyers asked to have the $35 fireplace set as part of the deal. So for these people, you don’t want to turn them off of a house, because they don’t like the pattern on your plates, or the location of the laundry hamper. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/23 "2011-02-02T05:43:49Z")
Generally, the kids and pets aren’t sold with the house. You’d probably have to lower the asking price. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/24 "2011-02-02T11:17:10Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Most people who are shopping for a house have zero imagination. When my SO and I look at a house, we’re looking at the basics of it. Is the foundation stable? Are the walls cracked? Are there signs of water damage? How does the flow of the house work? Can we move walls and make it what we want? > > But for an astounding number of people, it’s all about the surface impressions. I don’t like the paint, I like that sofa, the lights are too dim. The last time we sold a house, the buyers asked to have the $35 fireplace set as part of the deal. So for these people, you don’t want to turn them off of a house, because they don’t like the pattern on your plates, or the location of the laundry hamper. That is why we refer to a couple of our favorite shows as Entitlement Whores US Edition and Entitlement Whores International. They would pop a blood vessel if we showed them our little 800 sq foot 2 bedroom hovel on its best day. Our entire kitchen is 10 feet x 10 feet. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/25 "2011-02-02T13:08:00Z")
In my area the interesting thing nobody’s talking about are people selling their houses because they can no longer afford to maintain them. I’m one of those people. The house is 80+ years old, newer roof/windows/heating, but it hasn’t had a remodeling since I was in high school simply because my parents, and now myself, can’t afford it. We needed to move last year/the year before. We can’t because nobody will buy my house in its current condition unless someone buys it for a teardown/build up. My BIL is in the same boat. His house has been on the market more than a year with four price drops. No nibbles. There are a lot like us around here. Pick up any RE guide or even look on [Realtor.com](http://Realtor.com). It makes me wonder what will happen, say, within the next 5-10 or 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/26 "2011-02-02T14:53:55Z")
**Selling a House with Kids Pets** That can be read two ways. The second may not be a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/27 "2011-02-02T22:35:48Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Generally, the kids and pets aren’t sold with the house. You’d probably have to lower the asking price. Beat me to it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HeadNinja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b4bc9f/32.png) [@HeadNinja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadNinja)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/28 "2011-02-03T19:28:21Z")
We rented the house next door and had ours professionally cleaned. This was after six months of keeping it as clean as possible with people and pets and getting no real offers. It took another couple months, but it moved. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/29 "2011-02-03T21:40:58Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > The big problem with showing a house where a bunch of kids live is that they inevitably have so much stuff that the house looks crammed and therefore smaller than it really is. Take away a lot of the kids’ toys and clothes (with assurances that they’ll get them back). Similarly, take away a lot of your own clothes; this makes your closets look roomy and shows the kids that you’re sharing in the sacrifice. > > Can the cats live with your parents for the time being, so as to get them and the litter box out of the house? If the animals have to stay, can they be confined during the day? At least keep them out of the master bedroom. > > It would probably be worth it to invest in having a cleaning service come through every (or at least every other) Thursday or Friday. Emphasizing the kids’ crap stuff. My parents are househunting (and I often tag along) and are very savvy/wise. They’ve been the only repeat visitors to houses that are cluttered because they can see beyond it and know they can get a steal because they’re the only ones who really can see beyond the clutter. Oh, and they’ve sold their houses within the first 48 hours (everything form the homes we lived in to rental properties) because they do the exact opposite. Get a home stager; they should only be a couple hundred bucks. They’ll tell you what needs to go and how to put little touches on the whole place to really draw people in. If you have carpets, get 'em cleaned and start making people take their shoes off at the door. Invest in some good water hog mats. Have shoe coverings at the door for those who see the house - people love that shit, it screams “I take better care of my house than you do, therefore this house is aspirational for you. It will make you a better person to live here”. Paint if it’s been more than a few years. How’s your attic? Your basement? Like others have said, move that shit out. > [@Icarus](#): > > People shopping for a new house are aspirational - they are looking to improve their lives. A neat/clean house is probably neater/cleaner than their own - it fulfills their desire for an improvement on their current lives. This, times a hundred million. > [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > Most people who are shopping for a house have zero imagination. When my SO and I look at a house, we’re looking at the basics of it. Is the foundation stable? Are the walls cracked? Are there signs of water damage? How does the flow of the house work? Can we move walls and make it what we want? > > But for an astounding number of people, it’s all about the surface impressions. I don’t like the paint, I like that sofa, the lights are too dim. The last time we sold a house, the buyers asked to have the $35 fireplace set as part of the deal. So for these people, you don’t want to turn them off of a house, because they don’t like the pattern on your plates, or the location of the laundry hamper. Also amazing information here. You would ah-mazed at people. “Oh, it’s just a trickle of water!” Uh, yeah, during a thunderstorm it becomes a FLOOD. “Just a little mold”… ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/30 "2011-02-03T21:47:54Z")
Realtor[sup]TM[/sup] here. I advise you to put it on the market right away. This thread has a lot of very good advice that I don’t need to repeat. But if a quick sale is needed, you need to price it much lower than you probably think it is worth. Right now buyers are not paying premiums even for luxury houses, and they aren’t even writing offers at “reasonable” values. They are only buying bargains. Of course, you could get lucky. Good luck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/31 "2011-02-03T22:01:14Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Realtor[sup]TM[/sup] here. I always thought it was REALTOR[sup]TM[/sup]. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643/32 "2011-02-03T22:12:52Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I always thought it was REALTOR[sup]TM[/sup]. 🙂 You mean all upper case? Probably, but I march[sup]\*[/sup] to a Different Drummer.[sup]TM[/sup] - more like boogie than march [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-a-house-with-kids-pets/569643.md?page=1)