Repairing Pet Damage: Projects To Complete Before Selling

Posted by Edmonton Homes.ca on Thursday, May 16th, 2019 at 10:07am.

Does Your Home Have Pet Damage? 4 Repairs You Need To CompleteIn Canada, about 67% of households own at least one pet—that’s millions of homes with furry, feathery, or scaly friends. That’s a lot of pets, and, as all pet owners know, a lot of potential damage that can be done to a home. When preparing to sell a home, it’s important to try to reduce as much of that damage as possible because buyers typically don’t like to buy homes, especially in a hot housing market, that require a lot of fixing unless they’re specifically looking for a fixer-upper. Here are some of the different damage types pets tend to cause and how to fix them.

Scratched or Stained Wood Floors

When dogs, especially big dogs, run through a home to chase after a toy, their nails can cause a lot of damage to floors. And in the event of accidents, pet urine can also seep into floors and leave unsightly stains. However, replacing wood floors can be extremely expensive, and homeowners can’t be expected to replace them just because of one stain or some scratches. In this case, homeowners can instead get their hardwood floors refinished. Refinishing will require sanding to remove any previous finish and surface scratches on the floor, cleaning, staining, and a new coat of finish to protect it

Stained or Smelly Carpets

Many pets have a special spot that they love to lay on, but those spots can hold in odors, especially if they happen to be carpeting; and just like with hardwood floors, pets who have accidents indoors can cause large stains to get stuck in the carpet. Fortunately, there’s an alternative to ripping out all the old carpeting and getting it replaced. Hiring a service to come and deep clean the carpet with steam can remove stains and smells from carpet. There is also a number of different cleaning products intended specifically for pet stains on the market that homeowners can use as well if deep cleaning doesn’t remove every last trace.

Smudgy Windows

Many pets love to look out through windows to try to find squirrels and other critters that scurry around the backyard. Because of this, the windows may have a lot of doggy slobber on them from wet noses and tongues. Buyers notice when windows aren’t clean, so it’s important for homeowners to make sure their windows are smudge-free. Fortunately, this can be done easily with glass cleaner and a rag—no replacements required.

Dead Grass

Pets need a place to do their business everyday, but unfortunately, that business can lead to dead grass. Dead grass isn’t appealing to any sort of buyer, so homeowners need to take care of their lawn to get it looking bright and green again. Here’s how to regrow grass that has been killed by pet urine:

  • Remove as much of the dead grass as possible with a rake.
  • Spread extra-fine ground limestone over the spot.
  • Water the area gently to help the limestone absorb, but be careful not to wash it away.
  • Let the limestone sit for a week.
  • Spread preferred grass seed over the spot and water as directed on the packaging.

There are many different types of grass seed available, including some that are specifically intended for use on pet-ruined grass, so be sure to pick the right one for the yard.

Pets are great additions to a family, but they can unfortunately damage a Spruce Avenue new home without meaning to. When preparing to sell a home, keeping these projects in mind and completing them as necessary can help bring a home to a sellable condition.

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