Realtors encourage sellers to have their home staged. Why? They want prospective buyers to see the possibilities of the home when they come to visit; not your personal style.
Houzz has a comprehensive list of 21 things that you can do to increase the appeal of your home. After you’ve finished cleaning, decluttering, rearranging and such, don’t forgot to make your home smell as appealing as it looks.
The Nose Knows!
Our sense of smell is very powerful. It can evoke memories and color our entire experience. Don’t let unpleasant odors put a damper on the open house or private showing of your home. A few of the unpleasant odors that may lose a sale include cooked food odors, home appliances, clothes, shoes, mold, pet smells and dusty air vents. Before scheduling an open house, be sure that you give your home a thorough cleaning and remove the root of the unpleasant smells.
Whew! Finally your home is clean and deodorized. Does that mean that you’re good to go? Not really, because while a clean home is more inviting, you don’t want the scents that people remember to be the Clorox or Lysol that you used to scrub things down.
Six Scents Which Complement A Staged Home
According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Retailing by Eric Spangenberg, now the Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California-Irvine, found shoppers spent an average of 31.8 percent more money in a home decor store when it was scented with a simple orange scent, rather than a blend of scents.
Some of the recommended simple scents include:
- Citrus
- Herbs such as thyme, rosemary or basil
- Vanilla
- Green tea
- Pine and cedar
- Citrus cilantro
Adding Scents to the Home
The most effective way to properly scent your home is to choose the proper medium for scent dispersal. Here are a few ideas:
- Candles – Placed strategically through the home, candles can quickly freshen up the air. Choose your candles wisely because petroleum-based candles reduce the overall air quality. Use soy- or beeswax-based candles to eliminate that problem. Candles come in a variety of scents making it easy to find the one that fits your home best.
- Reed Diffusers – a glass vase filled with fragrant essential oils. These are glass vases filled with fragrant aromatic essential oils and reeds that rest in the oil. The oil saturates the reeds, which in turn, releases the scent. Diffusers are great for bathrooms and other areas that you may not want an open flame.
- Simmer Pots – A simple way to make the house smell wonderfully. Add essential oils or other scented materials to water and place it on the stove to boil.
- Potpourri – Potpourri is easy to make (or buy). Best of all the scent will last anywhere between two months to years depending upon the blend you choose, it’s location and how it is used.
If you’re a property owner hoping to sell your home quickly, remember that creating a welcoming and comfortable experience for homebuyers will go a long way to closing the deal. Simple things like decluttering, a thorough cleaning and pleasant odors set the stage for a successful transaction. Good luck!
References:
- https://news.wsu.edu/2012/11/26/wsu-researchers-tie-simple-scent-to-increased-retail-sales/
- https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/5-scents-that-make-sense-when-selling-a-home