Not the first choice of topics for most, but it's a problem I run into frequently. So let's jump in together and hold our nose.
Let's face it, every home has an odor. Some are pleasant, like homemade chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. Some are not so pleasant, like last nights Mexican dinner. Ah.. the smell of fried meat with all those great spices, re-fried beans, Spanish rice, and if you went way out, Margaritas! What tasted and smelled great last night, not so great of a smell the next day. Even worse, the odor we never want to talk about, that little accident that Fido had on the carpet last week that lingers forever if not cleaned properly.
I've been asked many times, how do you tell a client that their house has an odor without offending them? I handle this situation in two ways. First I give all of my clients a to do list that includes odor elimination. For example: Wash all window treatments, have all carpets and furniture professionally cleaned, and no smoking in the house. I even go as far as telling them to wash all dirty clothes before a showing or an open house. This is especially important for clients that have children. Have you ever smelled the sweaty clothes and gear of a child that just returned from a sporting event? Not a pretty smell.
If there is still an odor in the house the day I stage, I will gently break the news to my client and help them locate and eliminate the odor. Do not try to cover it up with an air freshener, eliminate it. That is another problem I find often. Some people think they need to put an air freshener in every room when they are trying to sell or light tons of candles. I discourage my clients from this because not everyone likes a strong perfume smell, or for some it may even trigger an allergic reaction. This would not be a great first impression.
YOUR HOME MUST BE ODOR FREE!
I can walk into a home and smell corned beef and cabbage and have that "at home feel". I love corned beef and cabbage and the smell of it brings back great childhood memories for me. My daughter on the other hand, bless her little Irish heart, would gag and run. She finds the smell of it nauseating.
The moral of the story is: What smell is inviting to one may not be inviting to others.
Sincerely,
Belinda
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