House for sale

[Mattroma]

My wife and decided to put our house on the market, hoping to upgrade to a larger house. I'm worried about leaving my macaw home during viewings and the open house. While I trust our a agent, I worry about people viewing the house . Am I just being paranoid?
Has anyone else sold their house and what did you do with your fids during viewing?

 

[weco]

No, I don't think you're being paranoid.....while a person with common sense might keep their hands/fingers away from a large macaw's cage, there are also people who fancy themselves as animal people who think they can interact with
with most anything.....

That's not to say your feathered friend would do any damage to someone viewing your house, but you don't need your bird to bite someone any more than you need someone poking anything at or offering anything to your bird.....

While I've never put a house on the market whit any of my flock in it, I don't think I would leave any in it & worry about the birds or worry about possibly being sued.....

Where in MA are you from.....I'm from Newport, living in the South.....

Good luck on moving the house.....

 

[MrsKay]

That's a tough one....
Perhaps it will be unavoidable. If you absolutely must leave your bird there through the viewing, I would definitely leave a rather large note: DO NOT TOUCH OR FEED THE BIRD
also be sure to instruct the showing agent about your rules, making them feel somewhat responsible, as they are responsible for showing your home.

 

[EnglishMuffin]

I would put a lock on the cage and a sign near it saying do not touch or feed the bird... if you're able to go to the expense you can also get a camera that links to a mobile device, so you can watch it anytime on your phone or laptop. That way you can keep an eye on what's going on while you're at work, or wherever

 

[Tosca]

You can put a note on the listing info about the bird so other agents know your concerns as well. Another option would be have the house shown by appointments only and you can remove the bird while people are going through it. Any time an agent goes through, a card is usually left behind so you know who was there.

 

[Birdman666]

I would just make sure the realtor knows about it, and ask her to mention to prospective buyers that the sellers respectfully request not to stick your fingers in the cage.

Most folks have some degree of common sense!

 

[Kiwibird]

If it were *my* house and bird, I would probably put up a baby gate to form a "safe distance" perimeter around the parrots cage with a large "I BITE. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH" sign, in addition to stressing the importance to the realtor that people not approach them. Even if your birds are the most loving sweethearts of all time, no one will be keen to approach them when they see the beaks and a big sign that says they bite After all, you're selling the house, not the birds! Not to mention, some people practically need to be smacked in the head with a brick to understand a basic concept like "don't pester the parrot", so doing a little more than probably necessary is better than hoping an idiot doesn't view the house IMO.

When we lived in our old apartment, there were a few times the maintenance man had to come while both of us were at work and I was so scared he would try to be friendly with Kiwi and stick a finger in the cage (and get it ripped off). I would always put a big sign that said "My beak can remove fingers. Please do not touch!" Not appropriate wording for a house showing, but even when one of us were home, the guy made a wide berth around Kiwi's cage lol. Always better safe than sorry these days. Idiots are allowed to sue for their own stupidity, at you and your birds expense.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I would probably take all my pets out of the house with me but I know that isn't always doable for everyone. In that case, yes, a sign and letting your realtor know would have to do.


I had gone through way too many homes from 2009-2011 (moved a couple times and bought/sold a couple places) and there were a couple places where the owners just didn't leave. They had pets and refused to go out and leave them. I know their realtor was probably annoyed at this but as a potential buyer, I kind of respected them for it and thought more of them and their home for this. (But I know many buyers wouldn't think this way).

 

[Mattroma]

Thanks for all the responses. While I would hope people would have common sense, I know the world we live in. I could only imagine someone toddler sticking his fingers in Quinn's cage.
I've our realtor to make sure people are aware of Quinn and request that they do not bother him. All viewings will be appointment and I'm thinking I will take Quinn with me during the open house. While he is pretty good with strangers and tends to keep quiet in his cage, the foot traffic of an open house and a Macaw screaming may scare off a buyer.