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Odor Control - Tips for Listing Your Home.

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX First

Whether its tobacco smoke, lingering cooking smells, pet odor or any one of the many scents that potential buyers may find offensive; odor control is essential in attempt to not dissuade buyers. To help you clear the air, the following are some tips on what you can do about odors and how to stop them from wafting buyers out of your home; including:

First, understand how air flows in, out and through your home. In home ventilation systems, ceiling or electrical fans or simply opening a door or window to allow the natural breeze to carry odors away. To avoid simply pushing air and odors around within the confines of your home, there must be a place for their air to exit; i.e.: an open window, as well as a driving force to push air through that exit; i.e.: a fan.

Soft surfaces such as carpet, furniture and drapes will absorb odors; consider having soft surfaces in your home steam cleaned prior to listing your home on the market.

Air purification is a more advanced means of keeping your home's air clear of not only allergens and dust, but odors as well. Small, electrical air purifiers are available at most department or big box stores. While installing a purification system into your furnace and home's air filtration system is a more costly option.

All in all, don't let unpleasant odors keep your home sitting on the market when these and more easy fixes are at your fingertips.  

Show All Comments Sort:
Vickie Slade
Colorado Landmark, Realtors - Boulder, CO
Service You Can Trust ~ Someone You Can Depend On

Thank you for reminding us how important it is to make sure our homes and our listings smell as fresh as they look.  I know I for one am immediately drawn to the smell of fresh paint and clean smelling bathrooms and kitchens.  I am just as immediately turned off but a foul or stagnant order, especially one of tobacco smoke.

Thanks for the great post.

Oct 19, 2008 05:26 AM
Rebecca Schrader
Competitive Insurance of Dundee - Dundee, FL

This has been such a busy weekend for me...beginning with cleaning our rental properties in preparation for "new renters"...the smells from the previous tenants can be overwhelming...and simply "airing" out the houses was not enough...I literally had to scour and disinfect and clean all the surfaces from floors, walls, to counters...the carpets of course have to be shampooed. It is vital that we do this (it just takes some elbow grease...and hard work pays off)...Now when my new renters walk in the door...it's not the dog smell that hits them in the face, but the spectacular hard wood floors and the immaculate kitchen that draws them into the house...

Oct 19, 2008 05:27 AM
John Mulkey
TheHousingGuru.com - Waleska, GA
Housing Guru

It's amazing how many sellers don't understand this critical point. In my seller's tips on my website I recommend that sellers recruit someone to give them an unbiased opinion regarding their homes odor. It's next to impossible for an owner to recognize their own home's unpleasant smells.

Oct 19, 2008 05:28 AM
Evelyn Panning
Property Connections Realty Inc. - Alturas, CA

Yes, air needs to flow.  But, we will soon have our Modoc winters with freezing temperatures.  I am encouraging one of my sellers to get the carpets cleaned (pet odors) and try to keep the litter boxes clean (clean them out 1-2 times per day - and definitely before a property showing)-- and then to use a rug deodorizer periodically to keep any lingering odors at bay. ~ Evelyn

Oct 19, 2008 05:42 AM
Benjamin Clark
Homebuyer Representation, Inc. - Salt Lake City, UT
Buyer's Agent - Certified Negotiation Expert

Welcome to Active Rain! For some tips on how to get started here, check out my blog entry at ActiveRain Fast-Start Tips for Quick and Easy Points. If you have any questions, just ask! Happy blogging and good luck!

Oct 22, 2008 05:28 PM