One thing that pets love – especially larger pets – is being able to run around in the open, especially on natural terrain such as grass or sand. Before choosing a home, find an area which has lot of open space such as parks or public gardens – or even simply fields. You can then look for homes listed on Gumtree in that specific area to narrow down your search. If you can quickly and easily take your pet to a place they can run around and play, they will be so much the happier for it. With cats especially it’s important that they can get out and about on their own.

What kind of flooring is there in the home? This will be something that you can check out when you take a tour around the place. Dogs normally like a solid surface which is not slippery so that they can run around the house. You also want to be sure that the flooring will not be susceptible to scratches. If you have the kind of pet which requires a run or cage to be placed inside the home, you will want to look for a suitable surface for this as well. Keep your pet in mind when looking at the decor as a whole to be sure you have made the right choice.

Do you like to keep your dogs out of certain rooms? Do you have a smaller pet such as a rabbit or hamster which needs to be prevented from getting lost outside of their main room? Look for a house with pinch points, where you can install a safety gate or block the route off in a similar fashion. Good pinch points are areas like doorways and open arches, junctions between rooms, and slimmer hallways. These will help you to control the flow of your home and ensure that your pet cannot get themselves lost or into trouble. 

When moving to a totally new area, it might be a good idea to look for groups of pet owners which meet for social occasions. This is a great way for larger pets such as dogs to make new “friends” and settle in to their new location. It will help you to settle in as well, so that’s a bonus! Think about where the pet groups meet if you are serious about joining up. For example, if you would have to take a subway to get to the group, your dog might not enjoy the journey. Groups like this often meet in parks or in other open spaces like the beach, so this ties in very nicely with the location scouting that you will already have done. 

When you make the right choice of home, your pet will be far more comfortable. This is very important as it will make them happier, and allow you to relax in turn. Of course, you can also make plenty of adjustments to your home after you move in, so getting the location right is much more important than the interior so long as you are willing to make a few changes.