An animal is a wonderful companion. With that said, pets pose quite a disaster to homeowners and house-flippers. One has to watch out for urine, fecal matter, dandruff, and other common issues pet owners face. Get your black light and nose ready to check for these common problems when flipping a house. There are five things to look out for when flipping a house that had pets.

1. Urine stains in the floorboards, carpet, and linoleum.

The potent odor from animal urine can linger forever. Even if the owner has done a good job cleaning it up, it can stain all the way down to the floorboards. Sometimes people will use Kilz 2 to cover it up, but often the floorboards and flooring still need replacing. Cat urine has a specific ammonia-like smell that is sometimes impossible to get out of carpets and flooring.

2. Staining in the walls, floors, molding, and corners of the rooms.

Territorial male dogs lift their legs and cats tend to spray in places up high. This means that in addition to checking the floors for urine: make sure and check the walls, corners of the room, and floorboards for any staining or odor. If somebody had birds and their cages were against the wall, sometimes there will be fecal matter from the birds or scratch marks on the walls.

3. Pet dander in the carpets

Pet dander is usually hidden, but many are allergic to it. Cats are a more common allergy than dogs. When a cat licks its skin, the deposits that form from the saliva leave a common allergen in carpets and other soft places of the house. This is in addition to dead skin cells and other invisible elements left in carpets that cannot be seen or smelled.

4. Are you salvaging any furniture?

Do not forget to check for: scratching in the sides and corners, chew marks in the seats and pillows, and overall cleanliness underneath the furniture. Unless the furniture is particularly valuable, it might be more cost-effective to donate it instead of re-upholstering it.

5. Scratches on windows and doors

A dog that was once locked up in a room will scratch where he sees or smells an opening. These are often found at the bottom of doors where the carpet meets them. Same with a dog that sees a cat outside the window, they sometimes will leave permanent scratch marks in the windows.

These are some of the most common things to watch for if your previous owner had pets in the home. If you would like more tips on house-flipping and would be interested in getting a project started, please contact us.