Most Buyers Place Pet Needs Over Home Purchase

Aug 10, 2018

What’s more important, buying a new dream home or meeting the needs of the family pet? The answer isn’t even close.

According to a new survey from Realtor.com, 75 percent of pet-owning homebuyers said they would turn down a potentially ideal home if it wasn't right for their animals. The survey found that 87 percent of pet owners weighed the needs of their pets when looking for a residential property, while 90 percent of pet-owning buyers said that their animals' needs were important or very important in the search for a home; 7 percent said their pets’ requirements were unimportant in this process.

Among the homebuyers surveyed by Realtor.com, 80 percent reported owning pets, with dogs being cited as the most common pet (64 percent), followed by cats (41 percent), birds (12 percent) and fish (11 percent). Eighty-nine percent of Millennials identified as pet owners, while 91 percent of people with children also had pets.

"It's heartwarming to find that people will put their pets' needs first, even when it comes to one of the biggest financial decisions they will ever make," said Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer for Realtor.com. "This survey shows that we really do consider pets part of the family—and that their needs are a critical part of finding the perfect home."

So, what are pet-owning homebuyers looking for in their potential property? According to the survey, a large yard (45 percent), any outdoor space (36 percent), a garage (33 percent), large square footage (29 percent), a dog run (26 percent), sturdy flooring (26 percent) and close proximity to outdoor spaces (25 percent).

(Photo of Joshua Clancy Hall courtesy of the author.)

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Phil Hall

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Aug 10, 2018

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