Do scents sell houses?
We all know buying a property is underpinned by emotion. It’s about people connecting with places that meet their needs.
And when it comes to emotions, smell is one of the most evocative senses available, which means aroma has a powerful role to play when it comes time to sell your home.
It begs the question, do scents sell houses? And the short answer is yes, the aroma of your home can play a critical part.
Why is aroma so powerful?
Ever encountered a smell that takes you right back to childhood and elicits a memory so powerful you feel you’re almost in that moment again?
We’ve all been there when a simple scent seems to trigger an emotion and memory inside us.
There’s science to this phenomenon too, with scientists noting odours take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, which are the regions related to emotion and memory.
That makes aroma a powerful branding and selling tool, and it’s no different when it comes to selling a property.
It’s all about the senses
Forging an emotional connection to a property is all about the senses.
It involves seeing the property, feeling what it’s like to be in, and also listening to the noises common to that home.
Smell plays a role here too, with research also indicating the odour of a home can either add or decrease its perceived value.
In fact, news.com.au notes research indicates prospective buyers judge a house by its aroma, with smells such as mould or stale cigarette smoke likely to put them off, while fresh and natural scents such as cut grass can make it more appealing.
So what aromas could potentially help sell a home?
The scents buyers love
When it comes to how your home should smell during inspections, fresh and natural is considered best.
Among the top-ranking aromas to achieve this are:
- Citrus
- Linen
- Cut grass
- Vanilla
- Fresh flowers
Using scent to sell your home
Whether it’s a candle, room spray or a quick mow of the lawn before an open home, adding a little aroma to your property doesn’t take a whole lot of time or effort.
But like anything, it should be used in moderation. The art is to embrace a subtle scent that doesn’t overpower the prospective purchaser’s experience or look like you’re trying to hide something.
That said, when done well, a nice aroma can indeed help sell a property by helping create an emotional connection and adding to an interested buyer’s positive perception of the property.
How we can help
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