Selling Your Home - The Smell of Success

Home sellers do everything they can to make their house look as beautiful as possible, yet appealing to home buyers’ other senses can be just as important --  especially when it comes to the sense of smell.

While you may not think your home has a smell to it, freshening the air and filling the home with sweet aromas can do wonders in making a favorable impression.

Most people know the old trick of baking bread or cookies to entice the noses of those looking around a home. That fresh bread smell is achieved by slicing open a large loaf of bread, dropping in vanilla essence and popping the loaf into the oven at medium heat for a half-hour before the showing.

REALTORS^® also recommend the smell of cinnamon, French vanilla, butter cream or coffee filling the air to perk up those looking around.

“Scent impacts the atmosphere,” said Michelle Bardwell, an aroma therapist in Dallas, Texas. “You can create a delightful but subtle, aromatic space by using therapeutic grade essential oils.”

Bardwell recommends using cardamom essential oil in the kitchen to create a sense of warmth, lavender essential oil for the bedroom to evoke thoughts of relaxation, and a combination of eucalyptus and ravintsara for the bathroom.

“This will give the bathroom a fresh, clean aroma, and simultaneously kill bacteria and viruses on surfaces and in the air,” she said. “Put several drops directly on surfaces and wipe down, and you can even put a few drops on the shower floor and in the toilet.”

Scented candles are another way to achieve a fragrant aroma in the air, but there’s not always time to let them burn before a home showing. Electrical plug-in products with fragrance and potpourri pots also are effective. 

Of course, pets odors must be addressed and be sure to check for smells coming from your refrigerator and garbage cans.

            “You want to send a positive image about every aspect of your home,” Bardwell said. “Kitchen trash does not send a positive message.”

Scents register in our brain and frequently remind us of our own experiences. Create pleasant aromas throughout the house to help the homebuyer make a positive connection and a faster sale.

Susan Hagen can be reached at 843-343-1462. Prudential Carolina Sun Realty is an independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates, Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity.