Happy Home, Happy Pet

After a long day there is nothing as welcoming as a happy and excited dog to greet you.   The second I open the front door my dog, Delilah is the first one to run to the door and greet me.  This is always the highlight of my day.  

Today is National Pet Day and a great reminder that having a pet may have a major impact on one's real estate choices.  There is an interesting article in Realtor Magazine this week, highlighting the importance pets play in our lives and how today's home seekers  are searching for property options that welcome pets and also have nearby amenities.  

My main take away was that when you seek a property as a pet owner there will be new criteria in the final decision.  I recommend making a list of all the factors that will be major influencers.   As we all worked hard to find ideal environments to possibly raise a family it is now as common to find an ideal environment to have a pet.  

If you are buying a single family home be sure there will be safe spaces for your pet to roam and rest.  If you are looking at multi-owner buildings you will want to see ones that are pet friendly.  Easy ability to get the pet outside for walks will be critical (thinking high rise elevator building may be tough).  Check the Condo association rules to be sure pets are allowed in the by-laws.  This is very important and do your due diligence.  I have heard of stories where one heard a pet was welcome only to later find it went against the Condo Association Rules.  If you are renting also be sure the place allows pets.  Learn the local area to be sure there are safe places to walk, near by dog parks and reputable veterinarians nearby.  

The article lists eleven great Pet friendly cities but excludes my home state.  As a pet owner and resident of Massachusetts I can vouch for this being a great state for pets.  I wrote a blog post about making your home pet friendly almost 2 years ago and it is still quite relevant.  Click here.     If you don't already own a pet they do make great additions to your life and I could go on and on about this subject.  All I can say is I love my dog and get super excited when clients are dog owners.  Feel free to reach out to me with any dog related questions.    In addition, I set up a small online business to sell light up dog leashes because my neighborhood has limited street lighting.  (on another featured facebook page called Bella Cose)

Wendy is a realtor with Coldwell Banker Needham.  She loves dogs, travel and blogging.  For more info visit her website at www.wendybcb.com.

Of note, I recently started posting short videos called Wendy and Delilah to highlight areas of my real estate market place while we walk around metro west and Cape Cod. These are featured on my real estate facebook page @wendybcb or on youtube at wsbornstein.)