Using Scents to Sell Your Home



Posted: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

by Jerry Clifford
Jerry Clifford Real Estate

With so many homes on the market currently, it is more important than ever to get your home to stand out from the herd so that buyers will remember your home above all the rest that are on the market. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal to make your home stand out from the crowd once you've done all your repairs and staging is that of home scents; the smell of your home can be inviting or a warning to prospective buyers.

Odors like those that come from pets are an annoyance to prospective buyers, but smells of mildew or decay are an indication of deeper problems. To avoid any unpleasant discoveries, have a friend or neighbour come and do a walk-through of your home to point out if they can detect any unpleasant odors that might be an indication of a problem. Make sure that before you go to the trouble of removing pet smells from your home that you board your pets with friends or relatives or consider a pet hotel for the duration of the time that your home will be on the market.

The easiest way to remove smells from soft surfaces is by a liberal sprinkling of baking soda which is then allowed to sit and absorb odors for a few hours before being vacuumed up. If that doesn't remove unpleasant scents, hire a cleaner to come in and clean the carpets, fabric furniture, and drapes. If you have a garbage disposal, run a half a piece of citrus fruit through it before a house tour to freshen it up. Don't forget to take out the kitchen garbage daily, not just right before the house is shown; this will help keep odors in your kitchen to a minimum.

The next step is adding pleasant, yet appropriate, scents to your home. Have you ever gone to someone's home and noticed that the entire thing smelled like flowers or sweet fruity scents? Such contrived odors make it obvious that the homeowner is using air fresheners or room deodorizers; this makes you feel like they're trying to cover up bad smells.

If you incorporate scents in your home that seem like they belong there, the smell itself will stand out less and just make your home seem more inviting. For example, in your kitchen and living areas it makes sense for your home to smell like fresh brewed coffee or baking, especially in an open plan home where the air has more opportunity to circulate. If you want to use floral scents in your home, try actually placing scented flowers in those rooms to give a reason for that scent to be there. A living room with a fireplace is a natural choice for a pine scent if you have logs stacked in the fireplace ready to be lit.

No matter what scents you choose, any scent that is pleasant will be a benefit to your home tours; research suggests that people look more favourably on any pleasant scent over an unpleasant one or even no scent at all. Potential buyers looking at your home in a more favourable light is sure to catch you more offers on your home.

Jerry Clifford has received the prestigious 100% Club award for his success as a real estate agent in the Minneapolis real estate area. He is certified as an ePRO and prides himself on attention to detail. If you need help in your search for Champlin Minnesota real estate, visit JerryClifford.com.

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