May I Show You My House?

This is Waggles, an adorable Cavalier King Charles spaniel who has proved to be quite the real estate broker. In fact, while conventional wisdom suggests that prospective buyers prefer seeing a property without evidence of its current owners, pets included, some New York real estate brokers have found that the presence of a well behaved pet can make all the difference.

Take Waggles, for example. Usually a dogwalker would take Waggles for a walk when the apartment he lived in was being shown. One day, however, the dog walker was late. Waggles curled up in a chair, next to a window in the living room to wait, and ultimately proved to be an important part of the sale.

"The person who bought the apartment told me that with the dog on the chaise lounge and the fire in the fireplace, it felt like a real home." said the successful broker. Not to mention that a pet makes the space more memorable. "I must have seen 20 apartments but this one stood out," said one buyer who remembered meeting the owner's golden retriever."If you like animals you'll remember the apartment with the animal."

It can work both ways, however, notes the broker who counsels against a whimpering dog in a crate or the presence of too many pets underfoot.

Use your own judgment when it comes to showing your space with or without your pets, but if one strategy hasn't been working, there's no reason not to try the other. "When there's an animal in an environment," said one buyer, " a warm, living, breathing thing, you feel a sense of love."