Nathan Walker, Sales Director, offers you some scent for thought when it comes to trying to sell your property...
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.
We’ve often discussed the importance of presenting your home for sale in the best possible light to help with attracting a prospective buyer by keeping it clean, tidy and well-staged, but we haven’t touched on the importance of scent in the home!
Yes, scent really can help attract (or deter) a buyer. Now, it’s unlikely to be the be-all and end-all, but it certainly makes a great impression, and it can only help if buyers leave with a lasting memory of your property being both fantastic to view for it’s visual appeal as well as its amazing smells throughout.
If you have pets in the home this can often leave an obvious smell of animals being about the place. One of the best ways to combat this besides air fresheners is by using cleaning products with a scent, that way you’re leaving a trail of lovely smells every time to do your routine clean.
As we are in our property daily, we can also become fairly immune to the smell it emanates, so get a second opinion from a friend or relative - and make sure it’s an honest opinion!
You’d be surprised at the extent and effort some home sellers go to in order to improve the smell of their home smell before viewings, but it’s with good reason. Some have been known to make strong coffee and have a baking session a couple of hours before to produce that homely smell from the kitchen but that could be a bit overkill and may even work against you if it distracts buyers in a negative way as they wander around your home.
In fact, a scent study by Washington State University discovered that strong smells typically cause buyers to consider what the scent is, rather than concentrate on what it is they are actually doing, which in this case is viewing your property.
So, instead of distracting viewers with overpowering smells, let’s take a look at firstly the type of smells that buyers can appreciate, and secondly how you home sellers can go about spreading those scents subtly throughout the home.
Vanilla
Vanilla is perhaps one of the most underrated scents as many people consider it too plain and standard, but it’s actually a great stress and anxiety reliever which makes it a fantastic way to quickly put your viewers at ease.
Another scent that can put your viewers into a sense of calmness is the scent of jasmine. It has a very floral smell, rich and fruity. A popular choice of scent for bedrooms, hallways, the living room, bathroom and most indoor areas really!
You could consider the scent of citrus in rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom as it has a very fresh, zesty and clean smell. Perfect for those selling in the warmer months and studies show that citrus again relieves stress and helps improve our mood.
Pine is a very naturally refreshing scent and studies show that forest environments can reduce stress, so what better way to greet your viewers than with some plants and woody smells? Could be ideal for a conservatory or large rear extension that opens up into the garden.
There’s a reason cinnamon is often used in aromatherapy - it relaxes muscles and increases circulation. Cinnamon could be described as a warm smell with a slight blend of fruity and peppery. Very unique and very identifiable.
Read: 10 quick tips to help you sell your home fast
Fortunately, you don’t have to spray air fresheners once an hour in every room to keep them smelling all nice and fresh. Instead, there are many other ways to help spread the scents across your home, including:
Here at CPS Homes, we specialise in helping people buy and sell homes that look and smell fantastic right across Cardiff, so if you’re looking to sell up and settle in a new home, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of property sales experts. Call us today on 02920 668585, e-mail enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk or pop into one of our three Cardiff based branches.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.