Real Estate and Reston, VA: Selling Your House to A Buyer With a Sensitive Nose

We have all walked into listings--or even just our own homes--and thought, 'gosh, that is a strong smell.' The solution for most of us is to somehow mask the odor until it naturally dissipates.  There are house sprays, scented candles and plug-in-scent options. But have you ever wondered how other people react to these products?

I can remember one listing that I was previewing. The scent of plug-in-scent was so overpowering that I immediately began sneezing and I could feel my sinuses filling up. Granted, I have allergies and am very sensitive to smells, but if I react that way, couldn't a Buyer be equally as allergic? When the listing agent called for feedback, I told her the house was lovely but that the plug-ins were very, very strong. She seemed extremely irritated by this feedback.  I am sorry she chose to take it that way, but I was providing legitimate feedback. It would have been the same feedback I would have provided if there had been a stinky litter box. Strong smells put off some buyers.

For this reason alone, I recently asked a client to remove a plug-in scent while the house was listed.  At first she seemed unclear about why, but when I explained to her the different ways that people react to scent--and how we did not want  a negative reaction to turn-off a potential buyer-- she happily complied.

Recently, there has been discussion about whether these artificial scents are even safe. The Washington Post published an article last week about this topic, Some air fresheners contain ingredients that may be harmful.

There are so many chemicals in our homes already between cleaning products, building products and off-gases from furniture, that it seems almost trifling to worry about a plug-in scent in the powder room, but it did get me wondering. Am I putting my family at risk when they use the powder room (which sports a plug-in scent--very light smell, you can be assured)?

Unfortunately, the 'open the window' solution is not always a viable one. When it is 95 degrees in the shade, an open window can be more of a turn-off to a buyer than an 'Lilac' scented house. Often powder rooms, one of the rooms where we frequently see scent, don't feature windows. Most have exhaust fans, however, and that can be a good solution for natural aeration.

At the end of the day, people who are very sensitive to smells will form an opinion of your home, or listing, not only by what they see, but by what they smell. When your objective is to sell your house, remember that what smells good to one person does not always smell good to another.  When at all possible, deal with the source of the odor and remove the need for artificial smells and scents. This is the best solution to a rather 'smelly' problem.