Do Cute Fluffy Animals Attract Home Buyers?

If you know anything about humans, human psychology, or are even just self-aware of your own habits on social media, you’ll realize that photos and videos that feature cute fluffy animals ALWAYS grab the viewers’ attention. But what does that have to do with the real estate market? Turns out, experts are saying that putting your pets in your listing photos draws in more homebuyers.

We all love our furry friends, especially when they’re freshly groomed and looking super cute. But wouldn’t you think that putting pets in your listing photos would trigger the buyer to think of all the ways your pet “ruined” your home? Like scratching the floorboards or just an overall pet-Oder in the home?

The truth of the matter is, realtors are advertising their listings wherever they can, and that includes social media. If you want more engagement on your social media posts (comments, likes, shares, etc.) then there are two things you need to increase: 1- video/animation content, and 2- cute friendly furry faces. People are simple just more likely to interact with a friendly photo. For home-sellers, adding a dog or cat to their photos creates a fun, family friendly visual for potential buyers.

All this being said, putting pets in your listing photos is ultimately a gamble of how well you know your target audience for that property. If your potential buyer doesn’t have or want pets, de-personalizing your images might still be the right way to go. Some buyers have allergies to pet hair and dander, and others might be turned off by the potential pet-smell that might be in the home.

Realtors go back and forth on this topic, but the one thing agents tend to agree on is that the seller’s pet probably should NOT be present in the home during a showing.

Source -- © 2021 Florida Realtors®