The right smell can instantly give people strong feelings like comfort or even love. So, it’s no surprise that the scent of your home can be a powerful tool in getting buyers’ attention.
The first and most important smell you need in your home is actually to clear it of any bad odors! More specifically, your home absolutely must be clean. No amount of air freshener will overcome the smell of old food or dirty dogs. Scrub your bathroom, deep clean your carpets, and take out the trash.
The next step is to add just a bit of scent in the right places. Note that a little fragrance goes a long way. Below are some tried and true tricks for what type of aroma to use in which part of your house. Pick strategically, based on your home, and watch the buyers smile and nod unconsciously as they walk through your open house.
Chocolate chip cookies
Bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies shortly before showing your home. Chocolate chip are America’s favorite variety of cookies. Literally millions of people have instant, happy memories of eating a gooey, warm cookie right out of the oven. The aroma of vanilla, brown sugar, and chocolate, combined with the subtle idea that they are in a kitchen where people bake and feel joy, will make buyers feel like your house is familiar and welcoming.
Lemons
If baking is out, or your house has a lighter, more modern aesthetic, think citrus. All over the world, the smell of lemon is associated with cleanliness and happiness. Peel a lemon and stash the zest somewhere in the room, even in a tissue in the trash will work. The bit of oil contained in the lemon’s peel that is released when you cut into it, will help the scent spread and linger.
Bleach
Bleach may not be one of the first smells you think of as pleasant or homey, however, people do associate a very faint smell of bleach with a very high level of cleanliness. Even if you don’t typically use bleach in your bathrooms, try this trick. Before the buyers are scheduled to arrive, spray a very small amount of diluted bleach into the toilet bowl and onto a paper towel. Wipe the paper towel around the sink. That will leave just a trace of that ultra-clean smell, which will make buyers believe that you are a fabulous housekeeper and that buying your home will require very little work to move in.
Perfume
In areas you want to associate with glamor, like a beautiful walk-in closet, or romance, like a bedroom fireplace, consider using a bit of perfume. Aim for a scent that makes you feel the way you want a buyer to feel and spray just a bit under a rug or behind the clothes in the closet. The scent should be very subtle and beautiful. When in doubt, look at popular perfumes for sale since you know they have wide appeal, especially those described as romantic or luxurious.
Fabric Softener
Fabric softener is great for two things, highlighting the usefulness and pleasantness of your laundry area and combating damp areas. Running a load of wash is a smart way to make sure your laundry room smells familiar. Everyone loves the smell of clean laundry!
If you have areas, like your basement, that you struggle to keep dry, do your best to get that dampness out before an open house. To get best results, in terms of the smell, mop the floor with water and a splash of fabric softener. Then, let in fresh air or crank up a dehumidifier to get it as dry as you can.
Landscaping
Scent is an important part of landscaping as well. Avoid unpleasant smells like chemical fertilizers, astringent cedar mulches, and flowers with strong deterrent aromas such as marigolds and paperwhites.
Instead, veer towards plants and ground cover that add enchantment to your garden. Look into cocoa mulch, which smells just as delicious as it sounds. Fragrant flowers like roses, frangipani, or honeysuckle not only make an outdoor living space smell heavenly, they attract butterflies. Potted herbs like mint, lemon thyme, or basil are easy to find and scatter with little effort.
Takeaways
The more you can make potential buyers imagine themselves living happily and comfortably in your space, the more likely you are to get multiple offers and top dollar. The best ways to use the smells of your home to your advantage in this regard are to -use scent lightly, stick with natural and high-quality scents over artificial and cheap, and layer on scent only after you have done a thorough cleaning.
