Condos and Pets
Cats, condo, Condos, Dogs, Pet Friendly, Pets, Real Estate, tricks and tips, Wisconsin
Many of my clients want condos and have pets. While we all dread the infamous projects with “NO PETS,” these old clunkers are becoming rarer as time passes. (Tip for condo board members reading this blog: Associations that forbid pets easily cost their owners 10% or more of potential value and lead to increased days on market. Be a hero; get rid of these rules, reignite buyer interest in your condos, and enrich your unit owners!)
Some of my condo buying clients seek upscale condos. While I was visiting Florida, I noticed condos specifically advertising amenities for pet owners. These included private dog runs, residents-only dog parks, concierges familiar with local groomers (some of whom will arrange transportation to and from the groomers), and even meet-and-greets for pet owners.
Milwaukee and the surrounding areas are a little behind the times. I have seen small private dog runs and places for condo owners to let their dogs “do their business.” Some concierges have lists of veterinarians and groomers. However, Milwaukee just isn’t up to other areas’ levels of dog runs, dog parks, or even basic meet-and-greets.
Here’s my plea. Developers, consider adding more pet-friendly amenities to your developments! Yes, amenities cost money. But as a real estate broker, I assure you that the pet-owning public always considers their pets when buying. Your potential condo buyers languish on the sidelines because there’s no place to run Fido and they believe it will be a huge hassle to groom Tiger. How many more sales will you make if you are known as the pet-friendly condo development? How much additional competition among buyers, how much of a higher final net sale price will you see, and how many fewer days on market (aka “carrying costs”) will you incur by being more pet-friendly?
Do you need help finding a pet-friendly condo? Call or email me; I’m happy to help!
(And developers, feel free to ask me questions about what I’m hearing from the market.)