According to a new study home sales a skyrocketing and it’s directly correlated to your pups!
HomeSmart Realtor Shelley Sakala tells ABC15, a SunTrust Mortgage study shows one third of millennials said having more space for their dogs influenced their home buying decision.
“Buying a house for their dogs ranked above buying their homes for kids or for a spouse. Their favorite person in their life is their dog, not their wife or their husband.” said Sakala.
So when Pierre, a French Bulldog photobombed one of Sakala’s home photos for listing by jumping up on the beautifully staged bed, Sakala took paws.
“I debated using the dog. You want the house to show like a model home and you want to walk in and it smells great and no pet hair, no toys.” said Sakala.
Armed with the study, Sakala took the debate to social media and posted Pierre’s bedroom photo.
“I ran a poll, I said ‘Would you want to buy this house based on this photo? Or would this be a turn off?’ One hundred people responded saying I would want to buy that house because of that dog,” she explained.
So Pierre’s photo ran with the listing, and the home sold in 24 hours.
He even sent Sakala a “paws up photo.”
“I am going to sell more houses this way. If I can get a really good looking, cute dog in the right setting, I will use it as a marketing tool,” said Sakala.
Realtors say only equity and getting out of apartment living ranked higher than pets in home buying decisions.
