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Many homeowners have pets and consider them to be a part of the family. When it comes to selling you residence, however, pet issues can become a stumbling block.

As painful as this is to write, pets nearly always hurt your efforts to sell that home. I love animals as much as you, but they are red flag for most buyers. This is true even if the buyers have their own pets!

The first problem with pets has to do with odor. If you have a dog, there is a part of the carpet or home that smells like them. You may not notice it, but buyers will. Even if there is no spot, buyers will assume there is and you have just managed to cover the smell up. Potential buyers will also assume the pet has 'had problems' on the carpet one or more times. Fleas, ticks and bugs may also come to their mind. Essentially, the presence of a pet gives potential buyers the chance to add negative marks to the ledger when deciding whether to make an offer on your property. Obviously, you want to avoid that as much as possible.

A second problem with pets is personality. Every pet has a personality and we grow fond of it. Keep in mind, however, that potential buyers may not be so receptive. While you consider little fido to be active and talkative, all the barking may annoy a potential buyer. If you have a dog, there is the secondary problem that they naturally like to approach new people and sniff them often at crotch level. This is not a good way to score points with a potential buyer.

Finally, you may run into the situation where a potential buyer simply does not like animals. Yes, such people are out there.

When it comes time to list your property for sale, you need to address pet issues. If it is possible to have a friend watch them, do it. If not, it is important that you keep them outside as much as possible. Yes, even if they give you that forlorn look that they have mastered over the years. It is only until the home is sold, so you both will just have to tough it out.

At the end of the day, you have to decide how willing you are to lose a potential deal because of your pet. With a slowing real estate market, you should not be throwing wrenches into potential deals.