How do you nicely tell your sellers to stop smoking in the house?

Michelle: A lovely associate asked me to help price a house yesterday.. The house was GLORIOUS BUT the owner/builder smoked... I gave two prices.. one with the smoker and the other $200,000 less.. I think  (hope) he got the point. Best, G

Hi Michelle,

That is the worse!!  I usually tell the seller I have a very sensitive nose and I smell the smoke, we certainly wouldn't want a possible buyer to pick up on.  I put the blame on myself as much as I can - That darn nose of mine!!  Pet odors, same story.

Wow that is a tough question.  I guess you would just ask them how badly they want to sell their home.  I have two dogs and I often worry that they create an odor in the house that I don't smell.  Cigarette smoking is the same way.  One gets immune to the smell I suppose.

The soft approach would be to say "I know you probably don't realize it since you live here, but when I walked into the house I could smell X.  That may be a turn off to many buyers.  If you want to sell your house for the best price you may want to eliminate the problem"  This gets kind of tricky if pets are involved :)

Unfortunately once the smell of smoke is in a home it is very hard to get out.  Good luck with your listing.

I just tell them like it is.  You want your house to sell then you need to get the old drapes out, the carpets cleaned, air it out AND no more smoking in the house.  Usually works.

I can't imagine a smoker not knowing that the house smells! So the subject has to be brought up and everything depends on the motivation whether they keep smoking in the house. To get the smell out, the drapes, carpets, and all upholstered furnishings need clieaning or replacing, and natural ventialation works the best. OPEN ALL THE WINDOWS and ideally leave that way for 24-48 hours.

My co-manager had a listing with the same type of smoking issue you have.  I brought two aircleaners and told the sellers that in order to get the house sold they would have to keep those two air cleaners on .  House sold.

Cigarette odor is the worst and really hard. But you absolutely have to talk to them. I like the idea of two orices to list, one for the smoke and one without. It puts it in perspective. And it makes them decide quick.

Be honest. In a pleasant professional way; it is important to have a heart to heart with them. As smokers they are not aware of it. If they have not washed their walls recently-it is a great way of demonstrating your point.  Light soap and water will reveal how much tar and nicotine has built up over time.  It is an eye opener to hard core smokers.  They have hired you to sell their home-this is part of the evaluation process that will DIRECTLY IMPACT the value of their property in an adverse manner.

They may want to consider a repaint, and carpet cleaning before you actively show the home. A HEPA filter works well too- cleaning ductwork, and A/C filters as well. In this case spending a few dollars will make a lot of sense.  Good luck.

My father and sister smoked in the family home for years. How did they deal with this when it was time to sell? 1) A stately 16 months on the market 2) four price reductions 3) had the house repainted and replaced all flooring and linens.

 Those turned out to be some expensive cigarettes...