It is clear buyers are considering more than just their personal needs when searching for a home. It is more important than ever to understand the unique needs of pet owners and what may or may not influence them to make an offer on a home.
Whether they know it or not, pets have a big impact when it comes to the home buying process. Home buying decisions are no longer made with only human concerns in mind. For many, accommodating for pets has become the new focus.
Sixty-eight percent of U.S. households or about 85 million families own a pet, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise as many of us are aware of the recent pet craze. We see pets cluttered all over our social media feeds some even have social media accounts of their own.
So, what do you need to know about pet owners and how to best work with them as clients? According to a report by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), “REALTORS® who were surveyed indicated that one-third of their pet-owning clients often or very often will refuse to make an offer on a home because it is not ideal for their animal.”
It is clear buyers are considering more than just their personal needs when searching for a home. It is more important than ever to understand the unique needs of pet owners and what may or may not influence them to make an offer on a home.
According to a report from the National Association of REALTORS®, 99 percent of pet owners said they consider their animal as part of their family. In the same way that homeowners want a child-safe home for their kids, they are now looking for an animal-safe home for their pets as well. Animal proofing a home can include home renovation projects such as building a fenced-in yard, having a dog door, and installing laminate flooring.
Recent trends show more and more homeowners installing products like a pet chat system allowing for communication with your pet through audio or video devices, and pet washing stations often in a mudroom or laundry room. Finding homes with these accommodations or homes that are capable of these accommodations might be a game-changer for your pet-loving clients.
Taking the extra step to show that you care about accommodating your client’s pets can go a long way. In fact, appealing to pet-owners may even be related to a higher sales volume.
Pet-loving clients are even going as far as specifically searching for REALTORS® with a pet-friendly attitude.
Searching for the home of your dreams has changed. For many, that dream now includes features for our furry (or sometimes not-so-furry) friends. Brushing up on all the latest pet-friendly home trends may just help you lead more clients to their dream home.