Kimberly Gartland says: Turning Scents Into Cents…and Maybe Even Dollars!

Turning Scents Into Cents…and Maybe Even Dollars!

I always coach my sellers to have a clean home AND ensure it smells good.  Turns out some of the scents I have been recommending have been wrong.  Or so the research suggests.  Believe it or not money was spent to research this topic of which scents  homebuyers like.

Over an 18 day period 402 people in a home décor store in Switzerland weighed in.  A whopping 32 percent spent more time in the store when it used a simpler scent like orange rather than a complex scent such as a mixture of basil, orange and green tea.  When the research findings were applied to homes during open houses buyers researches suggest sellers stay away from scents such as potpourri (agree) and baked goods.  According to researcher Eric Spangengerg, dean of the college of business at Washington State University, complex scents can be a distraction to potential home buyers because buyers are subconsciously dedicating time to figuring out what the scent is rather than focusing on the home.  The solution?  Stick with simple scents like pine, lemon and cedar.  Keep in mind the setting of your home when choosing your smell.  If you’re near the water an Ocean Breeze fragrance would be appropriate.  Pine for a cabin in the woods.  Personally…the smells of baked goods gets me every time!  So choose the simple scent and turn scents into cents…and maybe even dollars when you sell your home!

Source:  Using Smell to Make a Sale The Wall Street Journal February 14, 2013

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