There’s a lot of advice on the internet about selling a house when you own a pet. Vacuum up the fur, make sure the litter box is out of sight (and that you can’t smell it), and wrangle your furbabies to another location while potential buyers are viewing the house. But what if you own one or more pets and you are trying to buy a house that will be comfortable for both the two- and four-legged members of your family? For simplicity’s sake we will focus on cats and dogs, since your pet fish, hampsters, snakes, lizards, or spiders likely don’t have many special needs. 

Local Laws

First of all, especially if you are moving to a new area, look into any local laws pertaining to what pets you can own. Beyond that, if you are thinking of moving into a home with a HOA, what do the bylaws say about pets? The problem you are most likely to run into are breed restrictions related to dogs. Pit bulls, Rotties, German Shepherds, and other breeds may be restricted. This is not the place to get into whether these rules are fair or not; simply to bring them up. An HOA covenant may additionally limit how many pets you may have, and of what size. 

Fencing

This brings up the next topic, which is fencing. If you have a dog, you’ll undoubtedly want a fenced yard where it can run and play. But the county or HOA may have restrictions on what kind of fence you can build, or if you can build one at all. Some areas don’t allow pets to roam free under any circumstances, so these are all things worth looking into.

Nearby Parks

Does the house you are considering have a park or green space nearby where your doggie can run, play, and relieve itself? In urban areas, these can be hard to come by. Think about the fact that you will have to walk your pet several times a day. Is there a convenient place to do so? If you have an outdoor cat, think the opposite about green spaces: is there a chance that there are coyotes or other predators that could hurt your kitty? Homes on busy roads should also be considered carefully, because what happens if your pet runs unexpectedly out the front door? 

Flooring

Within the house, think about pet-friendly flooring. Carpet is not ideal if you have pets. It holds onto odors, and it stains easily. Your resale value is also not going to be as high with carpet. Are you willing to replace it? Hardwood floors are good since they can be refinished with relative ease if they get scratched up. Other durable flooring materials are good bets as well.

Floorplan

Lastly, think about the house’s floorplan. Does the home have stairs? Will your pet, as it gets older, have trouble navigating them? Is there enough room, especially if you have one or more large dogs? Even a small kitty needs room for a scratching post and small bed. Just as you consider if there will be enough room for the human members of your family, think about the furry ones as well.