What does your home smell like?

If you can smell it, you can’t sell it

I estimate about 35% of homes that I visit smell like something. Maybe 10% of those smell like something by accident, like stinky dog or last night’s dinner. Many have no idea that their home has an odor until someone tells them. And it’s not their fault. If you live with it, you don’t notice it. The same goes for our clutter and dust.

I’ve been to homes with strong cooking smells, penetrating smoke odors, strong dog smells, stinky cat litter and just plain stuffy house smell. And worse, unfortunately.

I was once invited to preview a home by a realtor who couldn’t figure out why her listing hadn’t sold yet…I had a headache within a few minutes of entering because there was a plug-in deodorizer in every room of the house!

I have never hesitated to tell a homeowner about an odor I detect because while I don’t want to offend them, my job is to help them sell their homes quickly and for the highest price. That requires that they know the truth about their own homes. Most of us don’t have a show ready, or odor ready, home, including myself. Cue the litter box in my basement. Eww! But I love my cats.

Cleaning is Staging

While my staging expertise extends much further than the following advice, the number one staging recommendation I have is CLEAN YOUR HOUSE! If you do nothing else, don’t skip it.

People would never pay for a hotel room in the condition their own home is in, dirt and odors included. Clean is not just dust and dirt free, it includes odor free. A clean home SMELLS clean and it might not be the reason to buy a home, but it is surely a reason not to buy a home.

Pet Odors

If you don’t have a pet, you’re off the hook. But most of us have a pet who we love dearly, however, your potential buyers do not. They love their own pet. Remove ALL evidence of your pet while marketing your home, including odors. Then, invite a friend over to make sure the smell is gone. They can smell what you cannot. When cleaning carpets, use the driest cleaning method you can and then ensure that the carpets are completely dry. Pet odors, all odors, come out in moisture. For pet stains, or any stain, keep a bottle of Folex on hand. I learned that one from builders who are constantly cleaning up after themselves in new construction!

Cooking Odors

Most cooking odors dissipate pretty quickly, but the ones that linger the most are in the oils that get into the air while cooking, and then settle on surfaces. Bacon. Enough said.

Cleaning all the surfaces, high and low, will often do the trick but in some cases, painting is the only answer. Ceilings, trim and walls must be included because the odors are absorbed into the paint and sheetrock. That goes for smoke as well.

Other odors settle into fabrics - think pet beds, upholstered furniture, curtain panels and rugs. You may need to steam clean, launder or just plain discard things that are holding odors that cannot be removed.

But what about the “good” odors? That is a great question. We all know what smells bad, but who defines what smells good? Ahh, just like décor, we all have different preferences. Staging requires that we neutralize preferences to appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers and that includes our sense of smell.

Scented Candles, Diffusers and Sprays

There are entire stores devoted to things that smell good and we walk through and sniff every soap, candle, diffuser and spray to find the one we like the most. Clearly, scented everything is popular.

What makes someone buy the woodsy vanilla vs the cherry blossom candle? Preferences. Lavender vs peppermint essential oils? Preferences.

If you love having a scent in your home, you might not realize that some people get a headache, or even a migraine when they are around an artificial scent!

Covering up odors

And the cynic in all of us will wonder if you are covering up some terrible odor. The truth is that the home the Realtor called me about had 3 cats in the house. The seller was trying to mask the odor.

When I mention perfumed odors to homeowners with scented candles burning while I’m there for my consultation, they often admit on the spot that they are trying to cover up the smell of Fido. See?!

Baking Cookies

And the last question I get is about cookies. Should you bake some cookies? Who wouldn’t love the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies in the house? Just don’t do it. Are you covering something up?

There are lots of ways to remove odors and sometimes cleaning and removing odors requires more than air fresheners and open windows on a breezy day. I’m happy to help with advice and vendors if that’s needed.

My go-to air freshener is Fresh Wave. It does a great job removing odors rather than covering them up. I recommend this one over the perfumed odors you spray in the commode – you know the one - or any other stale, stinky air. Fresh air usually smells great, but springtime in the Carolinas brings a wave of pollen none of us want inside the house!

Clean your home, on the surfaces and in the air. And, hire a professional stager who can give the best advice on furniture placement, décor, updates and finishes. Staging works. Don’t skip it! Schedule now!

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