There's a Cat in the House!

I was warned very specifically not to let the cat out of the house. "He's very sneaky," the seller said. "If he detects the slightest opportunity, he'll bolt!" With that she smiled and left me to my open house. Here's the thing. I had no idea where the cat even was, at this point. The home was huge...lots of bedrooms, massive sofas, closets galore. My thought was that if I don't know where Binky is right now, how will I know if he's close enough to sneak by me and slither out the door, free at last? So before I put the open house sign up signaling buyers to drop in, I scoured the home for this beloved pet. It took a very long time. The owner hadn't known where he was, either. "Oh, he's somewhere." Well, clearly...somewhere. I never located Binky. So I put my please keep door closed for escaping pets sign up and got down to the business of selling the home. It was a pretty busy open house, but it wasn't until about half way through that Binky appeared in all of his glory, arching his back and stretching his legs like he'd been asleep for days and was now ready for action. I spoke to him and approached him to stroke his jet black hair, but, typical feline, he looked at me like I was from Mars and bolted under the living room sofa. It wasn't long before another group of buyers came through the door. I was monitoring it very carefully by then, knowing that a recalcitrant cat was just waiting for his moment. The cat stayed put under the sofa until I was packing up to go. Binky wandered over to me, rubbing his ebony silk all over my leg, purring all the while. That was odd, because until that moment, I thought the cat hated me. He seemed to know I was leaving and he'd be alone...I mean, I don't know what cats think...but that could have been it, right? I set everything by the door, but by now I had a cat practically attached at my hip. I wasn't quite sure how I'd get out the door without what had now become an appendage. I reached down to pick Binky up and he screeched like I'd just wounded him. I talked to him for a minute or so, stroked him and walked upstairs with him to the farthest corner of the home. There I let him slip out of my arms, thinking he'd scooch under the bed. But the cat stared me down, sized me up and ran like the wind to the front door with me in hot pursuit. I know he was disappointed the door was still closed, but not as disappointed as I was that he hadn't liked my solution. I found his food bowl in the kitchen, wooed him to it, then slipped out the door before he knew what was happening. Whew! I haven't lost a pet, yet. But it's not because they haven't tried.

Open houses can be tricky with pets sometimes. I love animals and most of us who are real estate professionals have some acumen in protecting them. I discovered when I entered real estate sales that many people have separate bedrooms for their pets, especially their dogs. There are pet owners who have the television going in that room all day so that the pet isn't lonely, and they pay dog walkers to come by at least once a day to take their dogs for walks. Pets have particular likes and dislikes, quirks and lovable characteristics. My clients adore their animals. In a perfect world I will be having an open house when the sellers can take their pets with them for the few hours we are showing off the home so that I'm not distracted from the job at hand--finding a buyer. Sometimes that doesn't work. When it doesn't, I make sure the sellers and I have created a plan that makes them feel comfortable and gives me the tools I need to keep their pets safe. I don't want a future pet to go roaming a neighborhood claiming to all the others: "I'm the one that got away!"

                                                                       My low maintenance pet...


Bottom Line: Pets are like our kids, and we love them! Real estate professionals might not be the best option for babysitting pets, though, as they have so many other things to consider and think about when holding an open house or showing a property to prospective clients during the week. Whenever possible, make arrangements for your pets. It's a win-win for everyone.