by Nicki Campbell

Although much has been written about staging homes, it usually revolves around how the property looks.  Furniture arrangement, de-cluttering, cleaning, neutralizing, yard maintenance, etc. -- all work together to make a home attractive to potential buyers.  And in this buyer's market, that is doubly important.

Today I want to address a less commonly mentioned subject -- smells.  No matter how beautiful a home is nor how artfully staged it may be, if it doesn't smell fresh and clean, buyers will be turned off by it.  Certain smells evoke warm memories-- think of apple pie or coffee or freshly baked bread.  Other smells cause you to recoil -- rotting food, urine, dirty dog odor -- and make you want to leave the premises as quickly as possible.

If you are getting your home ready to sell, it is extremely important that you make sure it looks and smells wonderful from the moment it goes on the market.  You are probably very accustomed to the smell of your surroundings, so it might be a good idea to invite a close friend or neighbor in to give you an honest opinion.  Here are some common odors that are guaranteed to turn off most potential buyers:

  • Pet odors.  This includes cat or dog urine, litter box odor, or just general dog odor.  If someone can tell you have a pet when he walks into the home, you will have to attend to this immediately.
  • Food odors.  Strong spices, food smells (cabbage and cauliflower are good examples) and last night's spaghetti sauce can hang in the air and permeate the carpet and drapes. Ethnic foods are wonderful to eat, but often carry the strongest residual odors.  If you enjoy this type of cooking, it might be best to limit the number of times you prepare it, go out to eat a bit more, and clean and deodorize your kitchen every day.  When you move into your next home, you can go back to preparing your favorite spicy recipes!
  • Cigarette, cigar, pipe and other smoking smells.  This is an instant turn-off to most buyers and can be very difficult to remove.  Smoke penetrates the furniture, draperies, carpeting and walls.  Have the rooms in question painted; have the carpet, upholstery  and draperies cleaned and, if necessary replaced.   If you smoke, do it outside!
  • Body smells.  This is usually a stale smell found in bedrooms.  While it may not be as offensive as those listed above, it is not appealing to buyers and should be eliminated by motivated sellers.  Laundering sheets frequently with a scented detergent or fabric softener may be enough to do the trick.  If not, have the bed coverings and draperies cleaned, as well as the carpeting.  Make sure dirty laundry is not sitting in the clothes hamper for more than a day.  Finally, open the windows for as long as you can and try a Glade plug-in or Fabreeze to add a pleasant scent.
  • Musty basement odor.  This signals to buyers that there could be moisture in the basement.  Have this checked out and make sure your de-humidifier is working!
  • Other  disagreeable smells include moth balls, insecticides, gasoline coming in from the garage, dirty diapers in diaper pails and stale or rotting food sitting in kitchen trash cans. 

The bottom line is this:  Keep your home smelling fresh and clean and buyers will be inclined to stay and appreciate its exceptional features and beautiful decor!