What to do - house on market - potential buyers say "smells like dog"

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Does your agent have to put the carpet allowance in the listing . . . you could ask her to mention it to anyone who comments about the dog smell.

I don't think it will decrease the number of showings. There are so many foreclosures on the market that are probably in WAY worse condition than your house, that a buyer might appreciate a seller being proactive. Also, anyone who REALLY wants to buy your house may make an offer contingent upon you offering a carpet allowance. Offering it up front cuts to the chase.

I just bought a house earlier this month and we saw some absolutely horrible houses. However, smell was never a turn off for me. I know for a fact one of the nicer houses we looked at had dogs because the owner was putting them in his truck when we stopped by (it was an unscheduled showing). I did not notice a smell at all but this person had bamboo flooring throughout.

I have two dogs myself and definitely notice a smell in my apartment. I hav enot had people over for awhile because of it and I'm sure it's hte carpets that are the culprit. When I get to my new house I plan on slowly replacing all the carpet with hardwood/laminate.

 

[Disney Doll]

Have you done the sniff test? Is or are there particular spots where the dog smell is strongest? If so, focus your efforts on those areas.

I know you say your dog doesn't go in the house, but are you positive??? The reason I ask is because a co-worker of mine has a lab, all house-trained, an adult dog, not a puppy. They were noticing a dog smell coming from the ceiling of their finished basement, couldn't figure it out until they went to their first floor, found the spot that was right above the smelly ceiling area (which happened to be in their little-used "formal" living room) and when they touched the rug it was damp, they pulled it up and found that the dog had been peeing in this corner without them knowing it and had peed so much that it actually seeped through the hardwood floor under the rug, seeped throught the subfloor and into the basement ceiling below.

 

[dispor]

I'm pretty sure you can get into real trouble by trying to "cover up" odors (if they are in the house/carpet/walls themselves, not your furniture). There have been a couple of realtors who have posted on this thread - aren't there disclosure rules that would prohibit covering up odors? Essentially, making the odor a "latent defect?"

I agree with the others who have said to ask an honest friend over. We become accustomed to smells that we are always around. You need a "fresh nose" to tell you the truth! LOL!

I am sorry to say that you have turned away the best potential buyers - those that have looked at your house when it first came on the market. I am sorry that your Realtor was not upfront about the odor. (Personally, I think if the potential buyers can smell it, then she can too. She probably didn't want to offend you and risk not getting the listing.)

Good luck, and don't panic. It took us around 5 weeks to sell our house and that was when houses were selling like crazy.