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Smoke Signals
What to do about properties that smell like an ashtray.
Perhaps another warning should be tacked onto cigarette packs: Smoking may be hazardous to the sale of your home. Even in a seller’s market, smokers’ homes can sit unsold quite some time longer than smoke-free properties. So says a recent New York Times article on the subject. The American Lung Association agrees, noting that the idea of financial consequences related to second-hand smoke is not new.
Buyers who want to rid a home of lingering smoke smells and stains face considerable challenges and costs. According to the EPA, “Environmental tobacco smoke is a dynamic, complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals found in both vapor and particle phases.” Translation: That’s a lot of icky stuff that could be trapped in the home. A professional smoke-residue cleaner may charge thousands of dollars, depending on the size of the property and the extent of smoke infiltration. Some buyers attack the problem by replacing the carpet and drapes and repainting all surfaces. Even those actions may not completely solve the problem.
You and your sellers have no duty to disclose the fact that smokers lived in the home. Regardless, buyers will likely know. So what can you and your client do to minimize the odor? Ask the sellers to stop smoking in the home while it’s on the market. Have the carpets and drapes cleaned. Some types of air filters may help, as can improving indoor air ventilation. Scented candles and other pleasant aromas during showings may also lessen the smell.
When representing buyers, keep in mind that an abundance of candles, baked cookies, and other pleasant aromas may be masking smoke or other objectionable smells. If a buyer is concerned about such a possibility, you might suggest that the nice scents be extinguished or minimized. Then, the prospective buyers can go outdoors for a few moments and come back into the home to assess its true smell. Of course, you can also ask the listing agent if the owners regularly smoked in the home.
Photo: Jennifer Idol.
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Buyers & sellers, visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.
