Imagine seeing beautiful photos of a property on the internet and thinking it is perfect with staging and curb appeal, but strangely, it has been on the market for a prolonged period of time. It’s true that a picture tells a thousand words, but photos can’t tell you the reality of a common problem realtors face. Despite its beauty, there can be something lurking behind it that turns off buyers. Keep reading to learn more!
In other words, what is the big turn-off? It is a simple fact that if a house smells, it won’t sell! The smells we are exposed to over time become familiar to our noses. Have you ever walked into someone else’s house and thought, WOW, that place smells? That’s something to consider when listing your house, especially if you have pets, smoke, or cook spicy food. The smell of strong odors as soon as potential buyers walk in often leaves them wrinkling their noses and heading to the nearest exit. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen this happen while showing properties!
In today’s post, I’ll share 5 tips about unseen odors that may offend a buyer but that you may not know you have in your own home.
It is most important to deep clean and eliminates lingering smells prior to listing your home. Once this is done, go through your home with someone with a keen sense of smell and ask them to do a room-by-room smell test, along with your realtor. Following that process, here are the 4 smells you should have on your “smell” list:
1. Smoking Odors.
The odor of cigarettes is a major offender: This is a sure way to lose buyers. Depending on the length of time the smoker lived in the property and the frequency of his or her smoking, the cleaning required will vary. It permeates and lingers everywhere, from furnishings to curtains to walls to flooring to air conditioning filters to ducts. Smoke and nicotine cling to almost anything, so if you want to eliminate the smell of smoke, it would be wise to hire a professional.
Are you willing to pay for this, even though it will be costly? Without it, you’ll lose more when it comes to the bottom line in your closing statement. There is a possibility that your home’s sale price can be reduced by up to 30%.
In one home, the smoke smell was so bad that special paint had to be used to seal the walls, fans had to be removed, vents had to be cleaned, the carpet had to be removed, and the cement floor had to be sealed before new carpet could be installed. Despite having to pay thousands, the seller received top dollar for the home in the end. Having heavily smoke-saturated clothing and furniture stored elsewhere is a good idea since cigarette and cigar smoke is offensive to many buyers.
2. Pet Odors.
Yikes! Our pets are special to us, but they each have their own scents that linger in their bedding, litter boxes, laying on the floor and furniture that they use. It is a good idea to wash the bedding if they lie on it. While your home is on the market, make sure you clean all these areas often and thoroughly. Pet grooming is important, as well as keeping fresh litter in the litter box. I would recommend steam cleaning any carpet you have. It is impossible to ignore the smell of cat urine; it can penetrate almost anything. However, do not clean this with ammonia as it will make it worse. It is likely that the carpet will need to be replaced and the cement underneath sealed before replacing it with new carpet. Also, never underestimate the power of FRESH AIR!
3. Food Odors.
Did you know that cooking foods with strong odors while your house is on the market can be a problem? There are many sources of odors, including fish, broccoli, cabbage, sauerkraut, garlic, onions, curries, etc. Over time, kitchen odors accumulate in the air and can remain there for some time. It is important to clean your kitchen thoroughly. You will need to degrease the walls, countertops, range hoods, and ventilation filters. While your home is on the market, let us recommend that you indulge in fried fish and other strong-smelling foods at your favorite restaurant.
4. Mold and Mildew Odors.
These are two things that absolutely need to go. Florida has a very rainy season, not to mention hurricane season. If a tropical storm leaves damp spots and the sun doesn’t reach them, dry them out as soon as possible. It is important to keep the sink drains, garbage disposals, and cabinets under the sink clean and dry. You can clean garbage disposal by grinding lemon rind. Additionally, Amazon offers cleaning tablets for garbage disposals and washing machines. It is common for damp areas to smell moldy if they are not allowed to dry out. Using a mildew cleaner will help you get rid of mildew. Be aware that too much bleach can irritate your nose.
Now is the time to deep clean your home before you put it on the market. It’s the best way to ensure your home is sparkling clean for potential buyers. Many people make the mistake of masking odors by dumping more scents on top of them. It is also possible to be offended by too many pleasant scents, like those from scented plug-ins, diffusers, Febreze, and certain cleaners.
In some cases, there is just the right amount of smell and in other cases, there is too much, the way your eyes water when you stand next to someone wearing too much cologne.
Home owners will sell their property quickly if it is clean, sparkling, and fresh. Although this market is fast-paced, homes that offend the nostrils will take longer to sell to people willing to take on those smells. In the end, these tips for freshening up your home will be worth considerably more dollars to get a faster and easier sale and prevent your home from losing value.
