Sorry guys, I had to vent this somewhere because it's driving me nuts.

Hubby and I are in the process of selling our house (which I never want to do again, what a pain!), so needless to say there have been many showings, open houses and many times "I'm kicked out" and hanging out in the car with the dogs or on many walks (the walks I don't mind at all).

I truly feel bad for the dogs when showings are on during the week. We're at work, so they are spending their days in the laundry room. Brandy (JRT) crated cause she's a nose and Mack (bulldogge) loose, just with the door closed. They don't like strange people in the house (without proper intro by hubby or I), and heck, I don't blame them. I've posted a large sign on the laundry room door that says "unfriendly dogs, DO NOT open door", and have specific instructions for showings that NO ONE is to open that door if it's closed.

Yesterday some agent actually had the nerve to comment that my dogs were barking while the showing was going on! Are you kidding? I'm glad their barking, it's their house, and they've got to be stressed when all these strange voices come through. I really can't believe someone would make that comment. I don't know why it bugged me so much, because it's really not a horrible comment, but come on...I've got dogs, the showing instructions says I've got dogs...what do people expect? My dogs are both friendly enough, but under certain circumstances, such as strangers in the home without an invite, the big guy can put on a good show (but trust me it's all show and froth - he's a giant chicken underneath) and the little girl, well she's the one you've got to watch for. She's my "pocket PPD" - LOL.

I would think that people would be happy with the warning so that they are prepared in case there is barking going on. Yeesh. I'm probably just irritable because of the whole process(not to mention the fact that I work with real estate agents on a daily basis and now have to deal with them at home as well - bleh - or the fact that I'm 15 weeks pregnant - sigh)

I can't wait until this is over and I bet the dogs can't either - I knew it was bad, but never knew it was this bad.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

After my dad died we ended up having to try to sell his house. Long story short, my mom still lived there with her cats and the real estate agent actually told her that she should board her cats and get a hotel room for as long as it took to sell the house. I told the guy that wasn't going to happen and that we'd have to find another option.

What is that little catch phrase 'The Apprentice' made popular?

Nice hair piece?

 Quote: scott garrett

Nice hair piece?

LOL! That is certainly not what comes to my mind when I see the 'Big Donald" but a great comeback...

Selling a house under normal conditions is stressful. Keeping it "inspection clean" etc... can drive you nuts.

Selling a house while pregnant with all those fun hormones running rampant... OMG.

Hang in there. At least the realtor wasn't totally a jerk; they have a job to do as well and to some folks barking dogs would be irritating. It is like jet noise - to those of us who love the military it is music to the ear, but to others, not so much. Don't take it personally, take your vitamins and get a massage every so often if the budget allows. Think of how incredibly cute that little one is gonna be...

Yeah, "bad hair piece" would fit better. You'd think the man would go to the Bosley Institute for some transplants or something.

You have a point there. I seem to have a strange afinity for the sound of automatic weapons, artillery fire, and SR-71 sonic booms.

Here's a thought. Maybe ask the Realtor to schedule the people that don't like dogs for while someone's home and can keep the dogs entertained. One of the things our Realtor told us was that buyers don't like owners around because they feel they can't openly speak their mind.

Thanks for the support guys!

Oooo, Barbara, I love the massage idea, I could use one right about now (bah, next appointment is in May). I love the way the house looks right now, but you're right, keeping it in tip-top shape wears on you after a while.

Actually my realtor is my personal friend, she's great, I've worked with her for 5 years. It's the others that overwhelm me.
Hormones, for sure, but I am taking my vitamin every day - LOL!

I think I'm bitter because I've worked in the real estate industry for 5 years and though I don't want to lump them all in the same category (because I do know some good ones), let me tell you, a lot of them are in their own little worlds to put it nicely. And I really do feel bad for the dogs.

Scott, that's the advice most realtors will give, and honestly, I don't want to be home when strange people are going through my house (it just feels weird). We remove the dogs whenever possible because I know that some people are turned off by them.

Scott, I can't believe someone would tell your mom move to basically move out while selling and board the cats, that's crazy!

Thanks guys, I do feel a bit better now. Fingers crossed that it goes this week.

I am a licensed realtor and sorry,I have to agree with the realtor.

Your house will be more difficult to sell because of the fact that you have pets, cats more so than dogs because they usually have a cat box odor. It's just a fact of life. I do not sell anymore, however I always suggested they remove the pets from the household when showing. I know it sucks, but you have a better chance of selling if prospects don't know you have pets.It's part of the staging process to make your home more attractive to potential buyers. Pets in the home are a turn off, especially if the buyer doesn't own any themselves.

Lisa, I can see the logic. However, and I won't get into specifics, it was an extremely poor choice on that realtor's part given the situation. Most of his actions said "I'm only worried about my commission, not you". For the record, I've done commissioned sales so I'm not one of "those people".

Julie, the best of luck to you.

I sold my house last year and the realitor gave us a list of things to work on and then get back to her, one of them was securing the dogs. We did as instructed and she got our house sold in thirty days for near the asking price and got us into our new place. This was when the housing market was tanking.