Bad odours scare off home buyers

HOME buyers follow their noses and the wrong scent could cost sellers a property sale, according to research.

Dr Avery Gilbert, a psychologist who studies human responses to scents, nominated tobacco and cat urine as the odours most difficult to cover up and warned the resulting bad impression could carry through to buyers’ cheque books.

Alternatively, baking biscuits or brownies might make buyers feel as though the house belongs to someone else and less likely to see themselves living there, according to Dr Gilbert.

The best bet is a clean, fresh floral scent. Anything non-man-made is a good bet.

“If you have a highly pleasant smell, people get into a better mood as they are exposed to it. And bad smells will put people in a bad mood,” Dr Gilbert said.

“People may not be as attracted, even if it is a fine property.”

Dr Avery, whose research involved a company that manufactures air freshener, partnered with Air Wick to complete the research into home odour created an index of the 51 most common household scents, from cooking to pets and body odour.

He said finding a way to remove bad odours should be paramount when selling your home.

O’Brien Real Estate director Dean O’Brien agreed a bad smell could ruin the all-important first impression of a home.

“Don’t try to hide it, try to remove it,” he warned.

“If there is a dog or cat scent in the house, it can affect certain groups of buyers.”

Craig Williamson, a Buxton real estate director, noted vendors should also be wary of smells they have adjusted to and said he had been forced to throw a suit out after hosting open for inspections in a Richmond home that reeked of cat urine.

“If it’s putrid they’ll (buyers) just turn around and walk straight back out, but they’ll reward really well with a premium when you get it right,” he said.

Story:  Rebecca Di Nuzzo and Nathan Mawby      Source:  http://www.news.com.au