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‘Pet staging’ is the new marketing tool to sell pet-friendly property
September 20, 2024
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The growing request from home buyers for a pet-friendly property has led to agents increasingly featuring ‘pet staging’ in their property listings to help appeal to pet owners.
The creative and innovative strategy, which involves using pets in promotional images, is designed to appeal to the nearly 70% of Australian households that own a pet.
According to new research by financial comparison site Money.com.au, the use of staging pets has become a growing trend, particularly as pet ownership continues to surge across the country.
Canberra-based real estate agent Catherine Halloran says she frequently uses her French bulldog Rollo in her property photos.
“Showing pets in real estate photos is a good way to break down barriers between sellers and buyers,” she says.
“I’ve had so many buyers look at whether a house will suit their pets before they even check whether their fridge fits.”
Halloran has found that featuring pets like Rollo not only makes the property listings more engaging but also encourages potential buyers to spend more time considering the home.
“It’s memorable, and in this competitive market, anything that can make your listing stand out helps.”
Catherine says her dog Rollo often appears in her listing pictures (image supplied)
Pet staging highlights the growing search for pet-friendly property listings
Money.com.au’s recent research highlights the growing demand for pet-friendly housing.
It revealed 3,428 properties — nearly 2% of all national listings — are advertised as ‘pet-friendly’ on realestate.com.au.
Similarly, on Domain, 5,375 properties were listed under the same filter, representing about 3% of all national listings.
This reflects the increasing desire among Australians to find homes that accommodate their pets’ needs, whether that means a spacious backyard or a secure fence.
The trend is particularly pronounced in states like Queensland, where 4% of all property listings on Domain are flagged as pet friendly.
Other states, such as New South Wales and Victoria, are also seeing a rise in demand for homes with pet-friendly features.
For homebuyers like Lucy Yang, a proud pet owner from Richardson, ACT, seeing pets in property photos played a crucial role in her house-hunting journey.
Yang, who purchased a four-bedroom home with her husband and their three dogs, Drax, Hulk, and Cheeky, as well as their cat, Sassy, says the photos helped her visualise life in the home.
“Having a picture where there was a dog on the couch or a cat sitting in the sun by the back door made it that much easier for us to imagine ourselves and our pets living there,” Yang shares.
“It showed us that pets had previously lived in and thrived in the comfort of that home.”
She added that pet-friendly features like ‘dog-proofed’ backyards were a significant drawcard, making the stressful process of moving much smoother.
“If a property already included a safe, sturdy cat enclosure or had other special pet features, we definitely would have considered placing a higher offer.”
When searching for a new home, Lucy and her husband were drawn to houses that featured a pet in the listing image (image supplied)
Real estate marketing keeping up with demand for pet-friendly housing
The idea of using pets to stage homes is part of a broader shift in real estate marketing, according to Alexandra Wetzel, a real estate photographer with ALX Creative Media.
“Staging pets in real estate photos has become fairly common over the last few years,” Wetzel says.
“Pets are a big part of our lifestyle.
“The idea is to draw buyers in by creating an emotional connection — and who doesn’t love a cute puppy?
“Properties with larger yards, that suit families with young kids and a family dog, tend to feature pets.”
Wetzel adds that rural properties, in particular, benefit from featuring animals in listing photos, as it helps showcase property features that are integral to country living.
“For rural properties, having pets, animals, or livestock in the shots is a must, as they are an essential part of the lifestyle.
“It also helps to showcase property features, like equestrian facilities, where showing horses and people riding makes the photos and videos more engaging.”
The approach definitely seems to be paying off for agents. The growing number of pet-friendly listings and the enthusiasm of pet owners suggest that featuring furry companions in real estate photos is more than a passing fad.
With so many buyers searching for homes that cater to their pets, it’s no surprise that real estate agents are taking note.
“At the end of the day, people love their pets,” says Halloran.
“If you can make that connection between a home and their fur family, you’re likely to get a lot more interest.”
🔗➜ Read money.com.au’s analysis revealing the five listing features pet owners look for!
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