“Wow. This house smells good!
What are they trying to hide?”
When you walk into a home with a buyer, that is often their sentiment if the house has artificial scents. But that goes against logic, you say.
Don’t marketing experts tell you that specific smells will enhance one’s experience and increase their desire to buy?
Yes, in a retail setting. There are many studies that show in retail and other public settings, certain smells are conducive to a better experience and therefore more sales.
You may have heard that vanilla, lavender, cinnamon, and other aromas can enhance one’s experience. But, it can go the other way too. For example, if one had a negative experience with cinnamon, then that air freshener you bought, may do the opposite of what you want.
We’ve experienced it on multiple occasions – where a buyer client muses: “I wonder what they’re trying to hide” whenever a property smells artificially scented and the house smells.
So what are some things you can do to improve a buyer’s experience and make your house smell good – for real?
1 – Scrub deep
Clean is always a positive smell. Shampoo carpets and other fabric covered furniture. Make sure the bathrooms and the kitchen are scrubbed clean. That will help get rid of ambient smells, pet odors and things that will turn off a buyer. Continue to spot clean daily.
2 – Manage what you cook
Food is more prevalent today than ever. People post ‘food porn’ photos of their dinners online and we all know what good food smells like. But, tasty fresh cooked food doesn’t always leave a positive smell. Garlic, onions, fish and other pungent foods linger and can be a big turnoff to a potential buyer. We don’t suggest that you stop eating at home. But, be careful with too much aromatic cooking, creating house smells.
3 – Take out the trash
This is a no-brainer. Garbage stinks. Even letting it sit for a few days will leave a room filled with lingering effects. Get in the habit of taking out the trash daily. That way, very little escapes the garbage bin in terms of smell.
4 – Make wash day more than once a week
We get it. Like trash, laundry is a chore most people would rather avoid instead of doing more of it. Unfortunately, when selling a house this isn’t much of an option. Clothes stink. And like trash, when they’re left to sit the scent seeps into the air. But, you don’t notice because it sneaks up on you. If you can do a load of laundry every couple of nights while your home is listed, it’ll help keep a fresh scent. Nights, after showings, so the smell of wash day is gone by the next. On that note, fresh bedding every few days is also a must-or at the least, weekly.
5 – Stay away from the misters, sprays, and other contrived scents
Regardless of how much you may like popular, name brand misters and spray scents or your SOs fragrance, these can be overpowering and create the wrong house smells. And the first comment is almost always, “what are they hiding”. Worse, some people have a different one for each room and before you know it, buyers are fleeing for the door. Stay away from scenting your listed property.
Smell is one of our most primitive and powerful senses. If you don’t get it right, you’ll drive away prospective buyers. Less is more, except when it comes to clean. Remember, you are trying to sell your house. Hopefully it’s only for a little while, and your family can get right back to lemon and garlic fish soon!
And, if you’re trying to hide an unpleasant smell, it’s best to determine the cause and deal with it in order to avoid other problems down the road. (i.e. water, musty or mold smells etc.)
Read more about preparing your house for sale and selling your property in Calgary!
Buying or selling – we have more blog posts related to each!