Since SMARTePLANS show the whole property, I'm often in back yards sketching and drawing. Recently I found myself in the rear garden looking at a series of small shrines to "Squeaky", "Muffin", Blinky" and "Igor" with either little headstones or memorial plaques. "Hmmm .. as I'm standing on this stepping stone to stay out of the mud, am I actually standing on Squeaky's head?"  As I looked around I noticed there was quite a collection there (over 10) and I thought at the time .. "Geez this has GOT to be the unluckiest family for pets ..." or, "a large family  must've lived here (5 bedroom house) and the series of (well loved) pets is over many years."  I don't know ... I didn't ask.

But it got me wondering... How do you handle this when the house is put up for sale?

DO YOU.....

  Dig all the animals up...?  And then what happens --- they go into a HEFTY bag and get parked at the curb for trash day?

Leave them there... but remove the headstones and memorial plaques...  Boy THAT's got to be a surprise when the new owner goes to plant that rosebush!

What do you say to your Seller if you're the Listing Agent?

Does it have to be disclosed? ... ie.  "Your Honor ... my wife and I would NEVER have bought that property if we had known that dead pets were buried in the back yard."

DO BUYERS CARE?  Does it make a difference to someone if 4 fish, 3 hamsters, 2 dogs and a partridge are buried under that pear tree?

I also realize that in rural areas, some properties have family cemetaries as part of the property, but for most of the posters here I'm guessing that is more the exception than the rule. 

 For many Houston agents its highly likely either you have, or will,  encounter this situation in residential neighborhoods .

Soooo... what do you do?  Is there a "best" way to handle this?

 Judith, The Floor Plan Lady

www.smarteplans.com