If you are trying to sell your home and it has been on the market for a while, you may want to consider how your home smells. Strange odors in the home may discourage potential buyers from bidding on your house. Though your house might be perfect for their budget, a smelly home will quickly make them think twice before placing a bid.
Pet odors are a common scent that may hang around where they are not wanted. If you have a dog or cat in your house, you can combat animal odors by thoroughly shampooing your carpets.
You can either shampoo them yourself or hire a professional to do so. After the carpet dries, invite a friend over to smell the results. If she can still smell the scent of Fido or Miss Kitty, you may have to use a deodorizing treatment.
If the deodorizing treatment does not work, you can always replace the carpet and padding in your house. Before installing the new carpet, scrub the floorboards with a product that removes odors.
Mildew odors in the house will also discourage potential buyers from choosing your home. It grows in bathtubs, showers and sinks. Mildew also takes up residence on walls and on furniture.
The result is a musty smell that immediately assaults your nose. A mixture of 25 percent bleach and water can help combat mildew smells in the home.
You can also purchase products that help remove mildew from furniture, bathroom fixtures and walls.
While your family may enjoy the scent of your home cooking, potential buyers may not be too crazy about that curry dish you cooked last night. People on the hunt for a new home want to envision themselves living there.
It is difficult for them to do so if they have a negative reaction to the odors in the house. When cooking meals, consider using the kitchen’s exhaust vent to eliminate cooking odors.
You can also spray odor eliminators on the carpets or replace the air filters in your home. For a temporary solution, you may wish to burn pleasantly scented candles in order to mask any cooking smells.
Smoking odors are a definite turnoff when non-smoking people enter a home for sale. In order to eliminate cigarette smells, it may be necessary to thoroughly clean the carpets, upholstery, curtains and bedding.
Cigarette smoke gets trapped in fabric and can offend the noses of non-smokers who are interested in buying a new home.
If you want to sell your home in a struggling market, make sure that your home does not contain any objectionable odors. Ask your real estate agent to take a whiff of the home and give an honest opinion.
Invite a close friend to your home and ask him to describe any smells he may sense. When opening your home so that potential buyers can view it, make sure your rooms are uncluttered. Store some pieces of unnecessary furniture in a storage unit so that the rooms appear more spacious and airy.
A mortgage calculator is a tool that potential home buyers use to help them select a new home. Although potential buyers consult a mortgage calculator when deciding what type of house they can buy, they will also consider the overall impression of a home before deciding to place a bid. Keep your home competitive in a struggling housing market by ensuring that it smells clean and appears spacious and comfortable.