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Getting the Smoke Out

By Darlene Luther

Real Estate Agent with Charlotte Market Real Estate LLC

March 01, 2007 02:02 PM

We've all been there, whether on the listing or the buying side...the house that WREAKS like cigarette smoke. Today I showed a house that smelled SO BAD like smoke, that both my buyer and myself smelled like smoke for the rest of the afternoon. Does anyone know the probability of getting the smokey smell out of a house if a buyer does choose to purchase it? Seems like a gamble to me, to buy the house and HOPE you will be successful. Does anyone have experience with this?

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Melissa Kruse

Gryphon - Lewis Center, OH

It is possible to get rid of it. You may need to replace the carpets and you should definitely kilz the walls & ceiling. If you do end up replacing carpets, kilzing the floors is also an option. Kilz is great for getting rid of odors.

Mar 01, 2007 02:18 PM

Mario Levesque

Advantage Avenue Real Estate - Wesley Chapel, FL

Tampa Realtor

Hi Darlene,

Here are my recommendations:

Clean all the walls and repaint inside entire house.

Replace ALL carpets.

Have furnace ducts cleaned if furnace is forced air.

I rehabbed a house with urine smell from animals and everything smell good after some major work.

Smoke smell are made of dust particle you can't just mask it, you have to take it out.

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Tampa Realtor , Broker Associate
People's Choice Realty Services, Tampa, Florida

Mar 01, 2007 02:38 PM

Marchel Peterson

Results Realty - Spring, TX

Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Wow that's a lot of work to go to do get smoke out. I've often wondered if there was an easy fix but it sounds like there isn't.

Mar 01, 2007 02:55 PM

Jim & Maria Hart

Brand Name Real Estate - Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC Real Estate

I've heard that Kilz works really well, too. We have not had the privilege of having to get smoke out of a home yet.

This is a great post. We'll check back to see if any other great ideas are introduced.

Mar 02, 2007 09:52 AM

Anonymous

Darlene Luther

Thanks for the input. After hearing these responses about having to paint all walls and ceilings with Kilz, as well as replace the carpets, etc., (and then, of course, having to repaint the walls and ceiling), I have determined that the moral of the story is that it is certain to be a very costly undertaking to get the smoke smell out. Therefore, a seller should be bluntly informed that they likely will see a substantial negative price adjustment, and a buyer should be made fully aware that this is a costly undertaking--before making their offer. A buyer that thinks that cleaning the carpet, putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls, lighting candles, and plugging in AirWicks will leave the home smelling fresh and clean will be sickened to discover they are going to live happily ever after in an ashtray... :(

Mar 02, 2007 11:34 AM

Rainer
1,482

Darlene Luther

Broker/Owner of www.TheCharlotteMarket.com 704-661-5922

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The Charlotte, NC Real Estate Market is a great place to buy, sell, or invest in Charlotte real estate. I am a South Charlotte, NC Real Estate Agent and also specialize in the Union County, NC towns of Weddington, Waxhaw, Marvin, Wesley Chapel, Indian Trail, Monroe, and Matthews, NC. There are lots of Charlotte, NC short sales and foreclosures in Union County, NC that offer the opportunity for investing in Charlotte, NC Real Estate.

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