There Are A Few Stinky Things About Selling You Should Know!
Did you have spaghetti with Italian sausage last night? I could smell it as soon as I walked in the door. I happen to love Italian sausage, but I am wondering, now that you’ve shaken off the winter chills and are ready to sell the house, is that the smell you want greeting people when they first walk in the door? As you move on to greener pastures, there’s a few stinky things we simply must discuss to get the house ready for market.
When you live in a home you get accustomed to the odors that live there too. Most of them are quite nice, but others… well, let’s just say those potential buyers you are hoping the house will attract? It is a sad fact that they are more likely to find themselves focused on any unpleasant odors. Any circumstance that might cause the house to appear “less appealing” in hopes of a lower sale price is only natural for the buyer to pursue. One of our important pre-sale tasks is to give them good stuff to smell and keep their mind focused on your house being worth every penny you are asking for!
These are some of the more common smells that can send a buyer running to the next property unless we take steps to neutralize them:
- Cigarette or cigar smoke; some people aren’t affected at all while others react violently. Even ashtrays left around the house can send out stale smoke odors
- Rover and the smell of everything he takes such delight in rolling around in before coming home to roll around on your carpeting, the bedding…… you get the idea
- and if not Rover, kitty cats litter box, even when cleaned regularly, can be off-putting to those with a sensitive nose. We love our pets but those very important potential buyers might not feel the same as we do
- Diaper pails in the baby’s room; most showings are scheduled, so you can empty and then light candles or spray scent. Same with garbage pails; in fact, placing them outside during showings is a great way to eliminate that pesky source of odor
- Here’s one not often thought about – doormats; every manner of thing that sticks to the bottom of our shoes gets scrapped off, ideally, right at the door, but then those odors linger, don’t they?
- The kitchen and bathroom sinks; it’s subtle, but stuff gets stuck in the p-trap and causes the sink to stink! Luckily this can be easily remedied with a little baking powder or other home remedy like lemon wedges.
- Carpets; in spite of regular vacuuming, odors are trapped in the fibers. We don’t even notice, they are part of the background of our home, but to a stranger walking in for the first time – make their nose happy and invest in a good deep steam cleaning before the For Sale sign gets planted out front
Appealing to a buyer’s sense of smell is just one of the many ways you can cut your market time down to a minimum. We know many ways to make the most of every one of your homes terrific features! Making sure they smell their best when the buyers come to call is just one of those ways. Your RE/MAX Alliance Broker Associate is full of ideas to help you sell your home for the highest price in the shortest time. Contact your RE/MAX Alliance REALTOR® today!