When selling, it’s smart to make your home appear to be pet-friendly!
Proximity to good schools has long been a deciding factor for home buyers. An increasing number of house shoppers, however, are looking for schools that specialize in fetching rather than phonics.
Pets, according to real estate agents and industry officials, cannot be ignored when their owners shop for a home. “We sell houses, you make them homes,” said Creig Northrop, of Northrop Realty in Clarksville, Md. “Pets are part of a family.”
As the number of households with children decline and those with pets rise, pet-friendly homes and neighborhoods are in demand. Households with children younger than 18 dropped from 48 percent of the market in 2002 to 40 percent in 2022, according to Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors. Families with pets have increased from 56 percent in 1988 to 70 percent in 2022, according to NAR research.
Research by real estate giant Zillow confirmed the effect of the pandemic on pet ownership. It found nearly three-fourths of home buyers and 57 percent of renters in 2021 reported owning one pet, said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, up from 64 percent of buyers and 51 percent of renters a year earlier.
“One of those things moving up in importance is walkability, having a place that someone can easily pop outside and walk a dog, important proximity to the vet and dog parks [are] also important because you want to easily be able to take care of anything that your pet may need,” Lautz said. “And those things do come up, and you may not want to put your large dog into the car.”
The American Kennel Club advises house hunters looking for a dog-friendly neighborhood to visit the area early in the morning, while dogs are out with owners for pre-work walks. “Take a look at the breeds, along with their overall well-being,’’ it suggests. “A neighborhood with a variety of breeds speaks to a general dog-savvy population.” Another key, the AKC said, is looking for neighborhood businesses that offer water bowls or a bowl of treats.
Americans are spending more on their pets than ever: $136.8 billion on their companions in 2022, up from $90.5 billion in 2018, according to the APPA.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/21/home-buying-pets/
