Selling your house with backyard chickens...?

[Hackles]

It all depends on the buyers tastes.

 

[Blondie]

I am a Realtor in Georgia. I would use it as a marketing tool - that is if you want to sell the coop/chickens with the house.

There are plenty of people who are getting on the backyard chicken bandwagon.

If people don't want it, and their agent is a good one, then it would be written in the contract to get rid of the coop/chickens before closing.

The house we live in now has a chicken coop and small barn. They also had 3 pastures already fenced in.

Those were the main reasons we bought it!!!

 

[Andora]

I would be so sad to part with my cute coop. I hope no one asks me to leave it with the house, it would be hard choice to make. But I guess if it meant not getting the 4 acres of land we're looking at, I would leave the coop. I can always make my DH build me a newer and bigger one.

Tying the litter box up and putting it in a garbage bag in the garage is a GREAT idea. I'm going to do that!

I just got done repainting/touching up all of the trim and doors in our house. Next I have to scrub down the flat paint on the walls and see how it looks after I touch up the marks. Flat paint does not wash easily, I hate it.

Pets really do add a lot of wear and tear, but they are all rescued animals that we love dearly so I guess it's worth it. Hopefully after I repaint and touch up everything, as long as I vacuum right beforehand (we have hardwood all over, no carpet) no one will be able to see any signs of animals when they are looking at our house.

I like hearing eveyone's tips and experiences!

Now may not be a great time to sell, but it's a good time for us to buy. We don't have a lot of money, but we got pre-approved for a fixed rate mortgage at 4.8% interest so we can afford more house for our money. The house we're wanting has 4 acres of land, 700 more square feet than the house we have now, two bathrooms instead of one, is on top of a hill surrounded by more beautiful hills, and the mortgage payments will be $100 less than we're paying now!

 

[EweSheep]

Sometimes if the buyer wants the chicken gone and wants to keep the shed, you can take out the runs and roto till them really good and they would have their instant garden.

 

[fosterchick]

I have a friend that has moved and sold two homes, in the last 2 1/2 years. Both times the new buyer wanted the coop and the chickens. Both times she did have to leave the coop to sell the house, but was unwilling to leave her chickens. She did hook the new owners with chicks to start them off. Good Luck.

 

[ursusarctosana]

Perhaps, if push comes to shove, you could house them somewhere temporarily. Those animals known as people can be a real judgmental pain, unfortunately. After all the wild birds come and go freely, so I don't see what the big deal is with chickens. People are happy to buy tortured animals' meat from the grocer and deny the negative contribution they're making. It's too bad everything always comes down to money, in the end. Frustrating, to say the least.

I hope it works out for you. Personally, I see it as a benefit, but not all people are like me. Some people are the type who would starve to death if something happened and they were trapped in the city, dependent on grocers for food.

As George Carlin used to say, "Chickens are good people!"

 

[toletiquesbysam]

We just sold our home this past year, so I can understand all you are going through getting your home ready. We moved from town into the country and we didn't make as much on our house as we should have in a better market but we were able to buy a much nicer acreage than we would have in the up market as well. Soo I do understand what you are saying. When we bought our home it had a dog house in the back, when we sold we left it in the yard, and the realtor said she was asked constantly if we had pets.........so we moved the dog house into the garage and covered it with packing blankets to "hide" it and the pet issue ended. People are Very Picky these days, they have alot of options and they have a hard time seeing potential in a house. They look at what needs fixed/updated/changed and base their decisions on that. They also aren't rushed to buy because they know pricing aren't going higher they are only getting lower so just keep that in mind as well. I hope it's a positive experience for you as it was for us. I'd do it all over again in a heatbeat to be where we are today so hoping you get the same results! Good Luck!!

Edited to add, when you list your house with a realtor or if you do it for sale by owner just make sure you disclose that the playhouse does not come with the property, otherwise you may get people who "assume" it does!