Selling a Stinky Home

James, there is nothing like a lousy tenant to torpedo a sale.  Sometimes the tenant will "helpfully" point out everything wrong with the house to prospects, to make sure no one buys the home and evicts them.

I've ran into the same problem when selling my own rental property. The owners made the right choice by sending the tenants on down the road.  It will never sell if you don't have tenants that will cooperate.

What I have found that helps with tenants is offer them an incentive to help you sell the house.  My sellers typically offer the tenants $1000 if they obtain an offer while the tenants are still living there.  $1000 is a lot to most people so that helps motivate to keep the house clean and smell-free.

James - Pet odor is the worst!!!  It is very hard to get rid of.  When the tenants leave you may have to have the basement professionally cleaned.  I am a home stager in NY - there was one rare occasion with a really stinky home where we had to contact on of those cleaning services that specialize in cleaning up after a fire or flood.  They have the professional grade cleaning supplies needed to get the job done. Then as long as the homeowner is going that far - they may want to consider staging the home!   

Ugghhh!!!  Has the odor contamined the upstairs too or just the basement?  There is nothing worse...I would definitley be getting professionals.  GOOD LUCK...I've been fortunate enough to never run into that degree of a problem during my career. 

James,

Yep, get those tenants out of there!  I had an accepted offer on a property with subject to interior inspection.  We had priced it about 15% below market to get it moving faster and knowing there was a tenant in there.  Well, when it came time for the look inside the home, it stunk (but not from pets...???? what then, right?), you could not walk well, pretty much anywhere because of the STUFF.  Up to your knees if you will STUFF, if that gets you a better picture.  Needless to say, the buyers backed out the next day.  We are remodeling now, and have taken out 3 extra large containers of her STUFF.  Good luck!

Eveline

I had to sell two homes of a lady that had cats.  The first time you could smell the smell before you go to the door.  It took a crazy person to puchase the home and thats what I got was a crazy person.  The second time wasn't quite so bad.  Lots of Febreze.  Lots of luck to you.

 

                                 

Sam's Club as well as janitorial supply companies sell a product called Odor Ban that is made from the oil extract of eucalyptus trees.  Use it full strength after the floors have been cleaned with bleach or TSP and dried.  Expose the room to the outside air.  The odor of the urine as well as the odor of Odor Ban will go away in a few days.

You can put this stuff on cement, hardwood, and mix it with carpet cleaning solution.  It also works on porous brick, tile and grout.

Your owner needs to bite the bullet and send the tenants packing.  There is no way those people being in the house can help his sale.  BILL CHERRY, DALLAS BROKER-REALTOR.  MY 43RD YEAR SERVING TEXANS.

Good luck!  I don't have any experience with this sort of thing.  Another product that is supposed to work by changing the "smelly' molecules is called Pure Air (they may have a different spelling for air, I'm not sure).