Pet Lovers Are Welcome!!

Pet Friendly Real Estate

No one shopping for a new home wants to walk into a house and smell the animals that live there, however the days of being asked to hide the fact that you have a pet are long gone.  Some real estate companies are not only allowing pets, they’re catering to them.  In fact Pet friendly agents have found one another on a growing social platform called the Pet Realty Network.  The network launched in 1997, now boasts 300 members who pay $30 annually to be included in the directory and can add to its pet friendly listings.   Even home builders are touting pet-accommodating floor plans, such as pet nooks in mudrooms, heated window perches, scratch proof flooring and custom-built cabinets for food bowls. “Its quite amazing what some people are doing now and what they are demanding,” says Rhona Sutter, Founder of Pet Realty Network.  “Its something buyers really think about now when they build. Pet Friendly has come into the forefront of consideration.” 

 The reason for this pet friendly craze in the real estate world?  Well nationwide, dog ownership is climbing, fueled in part by millennials who are postponing marriage and child-rearing and getting pets instead.  The American Pet Products Association found in its most recent pet-owner study that 44 percent of American households, or more than 54 million, own at least one dog, up from 38 percent, or 35 million, in 1990.  Its not just millennials driving this new trend, ProMatura, a Mississippi real estate research and advisory firm specializing in age-qualified housing, surveys seniors every year on what they want in their housing communities.  In last years survey, 43 percent of respondents indicated they thought a dog park was essential or desirable, up 33 percent from the previous year.  Apartment and condo developers from New York City to Washington State are incorporating pet amenities like grooming stations, day boarding facilities, dog-walking services, veterinary clinics, miniature dog parks, and even rooftop dog walks with special cleaning systems.   Real estate agents now have to show themselves as pet friendly weather it is through networking, marketing or even how they stage the homes.  No matter were you are or for whom you work, you will now have to take into consideration all the members of the family even the furry ones. 

Cynthia Schmier, Broker/Owner
CRS, CDPE, CNE, CIAS, MDI, 5-STAR, SRS
RE/MAX Country
Cynthia@Cynthia-Online.com
(360) 400-3475
www.cynthia-online.com