If you are selling your home and you don't have any pets, congratulations! Your life will be much simpler while your home is on the market. If you do have animals, you should look at your home as if you were a potential buyer who isn't a pet-lover. We tend to become oblivious to things we see (and smell) every day.

Ask a friend or neighbor who doesn't have pets to come to your home and do an informal sniff test, then pay close attention to what they say. If there is even a hint of pet odor, you must identify the source and take drastic measures to neutralize the odor. That means cleaning litter boxes religiously, washing pet bedding or even getting rid of old rugs and furniture that may be stinky. Pet odors and hair can be a deal breaker, especially for buyers with allergies.

It is wise to disclose any places where a pet has marked territory because that could come back to bite you. Speaking of biting, we will have more on that later.

Copyright 2009, Ruth Ann Manison