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Key Lime Pie & Sugar Cookies = 1 TERRIBLE SHOWING!

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Compass 0524642

I showed one house this morning and about threw up. The home itself was clean, priced well, and even staged well. Unfortunately when we walked in we were knocked over by the overwhelming odor of Sugar Cookies. There were 5 quart sized candles around the house that reeked of sugar cookies. You could tell they had been burning for at least a half hour. There were deep wax puddles in every single one of them.

During our showing I decided to wash my hands in the downstairs guest bathroom. Above the toilet was a bag filled with twigs, sticks, rocks, gravel and other woodsy type remains... it was EXTREMELY POWERFUL and BLASTED THE ROOM WITH KEY LIME PIE! I literally had to hold my breath as the thickness of Key Lime Pie and cookies almost made me gag. Who wants to smell key lime pie in the restroom anyways?

Every room in the house had an odor/scent to it. You could tell that somebody  went ape-shit with the Lysol. Our nose hairs curled from the chemicals, powders and sprays. It was so bad I thought I was going to vomit. Lysol is a great product when used correctly, when oversprayed you can actually TASTE IT.

 

Here's something to remember:

 

1. Do not light a bunch of candles then leave your home; it's a fire hazard. Not everyone enjoys pumpkin spice incense blended with key lime candles. It's TOO MUCH.

2. Your home should be fresh, clean and odorless.You don't need to go bonkers with Fabreeze, Lysol or perfume. It will only make people think your hiding something. The best odor can be as simple as a few open windows!

3. Some people are allergic to fresh flowers... and I despise the smell of them.. reminds me of funeral homes.

4. Don't leave those little bags laying everywhere that smell like lemons/limes/chocolate cake/brownies/chicken or cherries . It's not necessary and will likely annoy your buyers.

 

It's your home and you can do whatever you like. In this market/economy you MUST appeal to the masses or you are lowering your chances of selling. We left this home quickly because there were literally 5 candles burning and the smell of sugar cookies was so strong that we could barely breathe.

Posted by
Greg Nino
Realtor
RE/MAX Compass 
Direct & Text 7 days a wk: 832-298-8555 
 
 
Realtor since 2004
Mediator & Arbitrator for the TX Assoc. of Realtors
Member of the Professional Standards Committee for the TX Assoc. of Realtors
Arbitrator for the Comptroller's office for the State of TX for Arbitration of Property Tax Values

 Member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame & Platinum Club

 

The information contained in this blog is believed to be reliable and while every effort is made to assure that the information is as accurate as possible, the author of this blog, and its comments disclaim any implied warranty or representation about it's accuracy, completeness or appropriateness for any particular purpose. All information is copywritten and the property of Greg Nino.  

Comments (98)

SentriLock Blogger
SentriLock, LLC - Cincinnati, OH

Great post. I plan to tweet/fb this out this weekend!

Mar 11, 2011 03:59 AM
Jeani Codrey
RE/MAX Corridor - New Braunfels, TX
Director of Opportunity & Agent Development

Were you showing a bakery?????  LOL!!!  I have been in homes like that!  Kills the senses and the sale!

Mar 11, 2011 04:02 AM
Karen Burns
Sacramento, CA

The Sellers may not have a sense of smell. I remember going to my mom's place once and she had one of those fake Christmas Tree scent things they sell for stinky cars. She had put it in her fake Christmas tree thinking it would add a nice pine smell. The smell was way over powering, but she couldn't smell it. 

Mar 11, 2011 04:19 AM
Steve Facella
ReMax Prestige - Lake Worth, FL

Right on!! I personally like some of the products you mentioned but too much of a good thing is very bad... Thanks for a great post!

Mar 11, 2011 04:23 AM
Phil Porter
Charter One Realty - Hilton Head Island, SC

Everyone has things they like to smell and don't like to smell. Hard to use freshener products.

On a related note, I'd love to hear suggestions on how to fix (not cover up) smokers' homes. Are there other methods short of replacing carpet, HVAC air ducts, and painting?

Mar 11, 2011 04:29 AM
Dana Cottingame
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Dallas, TX

I am not fond of candles and air fresheners, but the houses that use dryer sheets all the time are hard to take too. The whole house smells like dryer sheets. The closets are full of clothes that have that smell.  I think like perfume, the people who use these things no longer smell them. 

Mar 11, 2011 08:21 AM
Peter Rhein
PCS - Saunderstown, RI

I can smell sugar cookies right now -the power of suggestion!

Mar 11, 2011 10:12 AM
Dawn A Fabiszak
Private Label Realty ( Denver metro area, Colorado - Aurora, CO
The Dawn of a New Real Estate Experience!

Greg ~ a very little can go a long way.  And if it is too much, I wonder what they are trying to cover up!

Mar 11, 2011 11:32 AM
Kimberly Brandon
Smart Moves Real Estate - Venice, FL
Broker/Owner

Great post Greg - I had a cigar smoker who thought candles covered it up - just made it worse......

Mar 11, 2011 12:00 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Hey those aren't really cheap candles I know which ones sell the Sugar Cookie. I think the smell is too overwhelming for me. I've very sensitive to frangrances/smells so it's really annoying. It's really a good suggestion to just open a few windows every once in awhile.

Mar 11, 2011 12:36 PM
Torgie Madison
Quicksilver Real Estate Solutions, LLC - Portland, OR
Websites and Contact Management

Some people do tend to go overboard with the showings... sometimes the guests can see right through the tricks!

Mar 11, 2011 03:28 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

As one who is allergic to perfumes and many other chemicals (like dryer sheets), I wouldn't even want to walk into that house. It would be instant headache time. Beyond that, many of those perfumes make me feel like I'm in a public rest room.

I've also had perfumed customers who gave me a headache. I'm sure some thought I was insane for driving around with my window open when it was 28 degrees outside... But you can't tell customers to go home and take a bath, then come back!

If you really need to kill an odor - as after frying fish for dinner - boil a little vinegar and water for a few minutes. It kills the smell and dissipates quickly.

Mar 11, 2011 07:28 PM
Robert Courtney
Lihue, HI
Century 21 All Islands, RA, CDPE, MCRE, CIAS

Greg - the Key Lime Pie got my attention!  You took me in a different direction, and can only imagine the smells.  I will be okay though.  ( Until my next trip to Foodland and my Key Lime Pie! ) 8-)  I always try to be at the house before showing, from what you experienced there would be no way to kill all the different scents going on.

Mar 12, 2011 02:15 AM
Greg Nino
RE/MAX Compass - Houston, TX
Houston, Texas

Marte Cliff - being allergic is ONE MORE REASON!

Mar 12, 2011 02:16 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

Generally I agree with you.  I also wonder what people are trying to hide when I smell those things.  However, I think oderless is not always right.  Some nice baking at an open house is a good idea.

Mar 12, 2011 11:50 AM
Carolyn Huggins
Between Home Stages, LLC-Winston-Salem, NC - Winston-Salem, NC

Ditto on all comments....and the best smell is NO smell.  But if you do have an odorous smell, pour white vinegar into a glass and hide it in the fireplace or some other inconspicuous place.  The white vinegar quickly dissapates smokey, musty odors. And of course, as mentioned earlier, the sliced lemons in the disposal works well; or place a clothes dryer fabric softner sheet in between towels, etc.

Save the fragranced candles for the Spa tonight!

Mar 13, 2011 08:29 AM
Dennis Neal
RE/MAX, Big Bear - Big Bear Lake, CA
Your Home Sold in 21 Days or We Sell It For Free

It is usually best to find a smell that most people like. I'm thinking Vanilla?

Mar 13, 2011 09:04 AM
Karen Steed
Tallapoosa, Bremen, Waco, Buchanan, Temple, Carrollton - Tallapoosa, GA
Associate Broker Haralson Realty
Is sugar cookie candle preferable to dog urine and litter box? Just asking...
Mar 13, 2011 03:16 PM
Jessica Shippee
Suncastle Properties - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

LMAO... Bag of chicken smells.

Mar 14, 2011 07:34 AM
Matt Robinson
Professional Investors Guild - Pensacola, FL
www.professionalinvestorsguild.com

The sellers probably assumed that sugar cookies and key lime pie, even if overwhelming to your olfactory system, was probably better received than the smells they were covering up...pet urine and cigarette smoke.  And they were probably right.

Oct 04, 2011 05:57 AM