Buying a pet-friendly home is manageable, if you keep a few key tips in mind. When you’re looking for pet-friendly homes for sale in South Florida, know the rules and communicate your needs. A home that’s perfect for pets shouldn’t be a chore to maintain – and it should be a home that’s perfect for pet owners as well.
- Buying a Pet-Friendly Home
Assess how much work you’ll need to put into a home to make it pet friendly. Will you need to put a fence up? If there’s a pool or nearby lake, will a pet be able to get back out of it easily? Are windows secure? What pest control products were used recently?
Older homes should be checked for lead paint and other potential dangers pets may ingest. Tight crawl spaces or open sump pump pits will need to be closed off.
It’s easiest to keep a new home pet-friendly, of course. These are also far easier to clean. Remember that pet friendliness also means that the home should be friendly to the pet owners. More stone, tile, and hardwood mean your cleaning time may be less than half what it is in a very carpeted home.
- Check Out the Park
Is there a dog park? Stop by. Is it thriving in the evening or on the weekends, when most people are off work? Ask potential new neighbors how their experience buying a pet-friendly home was in that area.
You can also stop by well-reviewed pet daycare businesses. These will be the ones most aware of their customers’ experiences and what the area is like in general. Of course they’ll want your business down the road, but they can typically tell you about the neighborhood and any local animal laws you should know.
- Condos Have Restrictions
Be wary of condos. These can often have very tight restrictions on pets. Even when pets are allowed, there are specific requirements depending on the type of pet, as well as weights, sizes, and breeds.
Other situations may allow a pet to be approved by their Board of Trustees. These decisions can be reasonable or completely arbitrary, but they will also slow down the process of looking at other options. Unless you put those decisions in writing, they can also be reversed on a whim. It’s far safer to look at pet-friendly homes for sale in South Florida than at condos.
- Local Laws
Every town has its own codes when it comes to keeping pets. These are generally reasonable and involve leash laws and cleaning up after your pet. There may also be limitations on the number of animals you can own, on exotic animals, and on farm animals.
We love our furry (or scaly or feathery) friends! When looking into pet-friendly homes for sale in South Florida, contact Synergy Homes. We can help!
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