What is that smell?

Oh yeah... smells! The aged mop in the hall closet that probably hasn't been changed in who knows how long and now smells like dead salmon?

Interesting though, that overwhelming cat pee smell is also indicative of a methlab... I know this was not the case in your showing, but I think it is great to know in a somewhat questionable house, and for your safety and the safety of your clients...

Smell of cat piddle can = old meth lab.... ;-)

Yes I agree with the previous comment! Your house has to be presentable! You never get a second chance to make a great impression!

I totally agree! I don't know why some of our peers don't have the guts to tell their clients the house stinks!

When I hold an open house, i bring several bags of microwave popcorn and pop a bag about every 1/2 hour. I dispose of the "old" corn in the trash outside--there's always the smell of freshly popped corn in the house, and visiters have a snack to numch on. 

LOL- maybe it was not cat smell after all- did you read the joke about the divorcee that put the shrimp in the curtain rods--the smell lingered so long- they had to sell the house for almost nothing to get rid of it-- maybe it was the house! Ha

It always amazes me how clean homes with cats just don't smell like dirty homes with cats.  Granted, cats can do nasty things...but I've rarely gone into a clean, shiny home and smelled pets.  Just a thought.  

The WORST smell!  The cat!  Believe me, I have a cat, love her dearly - but, it is just a given - cats smell.  Now, not a cat smell but FOOD!  I had a house that I had previewed a few times  - gorgeous home and didn't smell.  I then had a buyer that the house would be great for!  Unfortunately, the seller had chinese food the night before for dinner - and, WOW - the smell was just awful!  Complete turn off......

Cat pee is a smell that is very distinguishable and I can't believe they didn't react to it!  Was it listed by someone in the tour group you were with? 

Good morning Mike,

Great post! My nose isn't an asset, size wise or otherwise! l always pick up the oder first. Sometimes it is just air freshener, other times it is that of a pet. Agents who do not address the issue to the seller are doing them an injustice. 

I came across an article that stated that the way a home smells can be the number one deterrent for a home buyer - not decorating, design, square footage, messiness, ect, .... but the scent of pet odors.  I try really hard to educate my clients this but it is hard for them to comprehend since they have become use to the smell and think the house smells fine.

OMG...Are you sure your not in my Mother-In-Law's old house????? 

Mike:  I know that smell well.  And replacing the pad sometimes can not help if it has soaked into the wood beneath. 

Mike - The odor will make that home hard to sell.  Smells turn buyers off and in this market they have a lot of other choices.

Mike, I agree, cat odor can make it a tough sale and nothing worse to get out of the carpet and sub floor once they have done their duty.

I know all too well how difficult it is to get the smell out of the sub floor after a cat has done it's damage.  We had an older cat that just destroyed my son's room.  After she passed, I ripped up the carpet & the padding.  The sub floor smelled HORRIBLE!  I sprayed Clorox Clean-Up over the spots in the wood & it didn't do a lot of good.  I finally just painted Killz primer over the spots & that finally did the trick.  It will do no good to replace the carpeting if you don't treat the damage done to the floor underneath.

It's amazing how much influence odor has on the buying decision... if people only realized- it can make a very big difference in the offer price.

Odors from pet urine, or simply the unusual pet (ferrets, snakes, gerbils, rats, etc.) are just chemicals and, as with all chemicals, can be neutralized by other chemicals, but vacuuming the carpet when there is a thick padding underneath isn't going to get rid of all the smells forever. However, a good flooring service with experience and the latest technology can easily get rid of them. My partner, a Realtor with Century 21, uses such a service here because he has a tendency to list properties for Clients who have pets.

Hi Mike, First, I cannot tolerate cat odors. This is from a guy who has 3 cats (my wife's). I challenge anyone to get the smell of cat odor out of existing carpet. I can smell it from across the street.

Second, I just want to say...I love Missoula. I went to college there, met my wife there and had my first child there. I live in Sandpoint now & REALLY love this place, but I will never lose my fond memories of the "ZOO".