Would you still view the house?

[JollyGreenLemur]

My house is up for sale and we have a reactive dog, its a collie, barks and bounces about in the window like a wild animal when people pass, would this stop you viewing a house?
Yes - yabu
No - yanbu

Yes id cancel

100% would put me off. I am afraid of dogs and I hate the smell of dogs in a house so I would be out.

By one logic, yes. But as someone who moved into a house where the previous owner had owned an untrained, distressed, barky (and, judging by the carpet, neglected) dog, when I thought the neighbours would be delighted with us (no pets, one eight year old, quiet) in fact they were hyper-vigilant about the slightest thing to the point of hostility, presumably primed by years of noise and difficult humans.

Of course it would! People are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds so they need time to look at the house in peace and process what they’re viewing. Having a yapping dog around would be a major distraction.

You need to take it out for walks whilst the viewings take place.

I won’t view houses if I know a dog lives there anyway. You can smell it for years afterwards. Only getting new carpets and underlay got rid of it in our last property

Oh, doubt it. Most people look on google street view, not drive bys. As long as the dog isn’t around for the viewing and the house doesn’t stink of dog (or have stains and hair everywhere) then it’s all good.

Im sure it’s something else putting people off.

I’d still view the house as long as the dog wasn’t there.

The dog wouldn’t put me off but I would be cautious about possible dirty carpets and dog smell which can be hard to get rid of.

It’s more the smell that would put me off. I think even when people think their dogs “don’t smell” they do smell to people who don’t have them

Your house probably has dog smell and so it puts off a lot of people.
Ds bought a house that a huge dog had lived in, it stunk of dog even though it was very clean when we viewed with him. The family had taken the dog out while we viewed. He got it for less than others with same floor plan in the same road. It was priced a bit lower too.
Once he got it, we had to rip out all the carpets and wash/scrub away all the dog smell.

Does a dog obviously live at the property by looking a the pictures on line or a brochure from the estate agents? Some people hate the smell and might be put off if there are lots of carpets or if the dog has obviously been allowed upstairs.

Is the garden neat and tidy? Some people might worry about dog mess all over the garden and a tatty garden that is just for the dog? The chances of people being put off by seeing a reactive barking dog in the window on a drive by are slim, they would just ask for it not to be there. They might be put off by the thought of cleaning up a house that has had a dog live in it though.

Same. It wouldn't put me off but it would some people.

How would people know to be put off? You don't have the dog in the estate agent pictures?
Just take the dog out when people view and make sure your house doesn't stink of dog (all dog houses stink of dog imo).

Having bought a house that stank of dogs purely for its location - and knowing how hard we worked to get rid of the smell - I would consider that a potential issue - I’m sure I’m not the only one

I would be taken it into account when I view it and check on things like damage to the wall/carpet/doorframes and how the outdoor looks (any holes in the lawn for example).

If the smell is a lot then I would have to think about a budget for a very deep clean, especially of carpets as I would need to have a day or two storage/hotel before I can move in.

We did this we considered a house with several cats and I am allergic to them. It wasn't the cats in the end why we decided against it though.

I wouldn't view a house with a dog at all as I know it would take months to get rid of the dog smell after moving in.

But at the very least I'd expect the dog to be taken out during viewings.

Indeed. As a prospective buyer it wouldn't put me off but as the vendor, I'd arrange for the dog to be out of the house. We did this when we had a reactive rescue dog who was fearful of strangers coming into the house.

I wouldn’t look round. Don’t like dogs , especially if it was wet , with the smell.

Before any one says their dog doesn’t smell , yes it does , you are nose blind.

Oh and yes, the dog isn't reactive, it's bored and needs to work!

Totally agree, I'm coming to view the house, I'm not interested in your dog and don't want to see hear it.

Dog smell in a house is another thing that puts me off. Doesn't matter how clean you keep your dog your house will have a dog smell. Owners won't notice it because they are used to it but it is there.

Really? Over 40% of UK households now have a dog so if you'd be massively limiting your market.

Most dog owners are responsible and their dogs don't pee in the house, so it wouldn't take long at all to get rid of the house.

A house with smokers on the other hand... now THAT is a challenge getting rid of the stench.

@JollyGreenLemur your voting will be skewed because you have written your OP to read as if the dog will be barking like crazy when the viewer turn up. As the dog won't be there at viewings then that's a bit different!

If you have a reactive dog then you need to arrange with the estate agent for viewings to be done at a time when you can remove him/her. Have a few set viewing afternoons or something similar. Sorry - but if you want to sell you have to make the compromises and removing ANY dogs, along with clutter and mess, is essential.

I love dogs, have two of my own, but I would expect all occupants of a house to be ‘out’ when I made a viewing - 4 or 2 legged.

I thought I would be the weirdo who said I wouldn’t view a house that had a dog living there. I’m so pleased not to be the only one on this thread!

I don't think it matters, we have lots of pets including a very reactive dog. Usually the dogs have been out of the house for viewings, but we did a couple last week during the extreme heat, so it wasn't practical to take them for a walk. We put them in one of the bedrooms, then asked the viewers to look at the garden, whilst we moved the dogs to a different room. Got an asking price offer from a young couple who were really liked the house, so I think if the house is priced attractively and is clean, most people will see past pets.

It may put off a few people, but I don't think it's the reason you haven't had any viewings.