In a market where slower than normal sales can mean more houses available and more competition it’s critical for the home seller to attend to every detail of preparing or staging their home for sale.
Smell is something many homeowners grow accustomed to, whether it is from pets or cooking or a favorite perfume. But to potential buyers, any smell at all can be enough to turn them off from a potential sale. It’s common for realtors to recommend that clients set out fresh baked bread, apple pie, or cookies to cover unwelcome scents and make potential buyers feel “at home” in your home.
We’ve all experienced it. Scent triggers emotional and physical responses. It can change our heart rate, make your mouth water, attract us to a mate or bring memories to mind. Smell can also make us buy.
In fact research has been conducted in the area. Studies have shown that a scented environment leads to consumers staying longer and spending more. A study of Las Vegas slot players showed they spent 45% more in a scented environment than those in an unscented one. Nike shoes received a better evaluation in a scented room. A vanilla aroma was used in NYC’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to reduce anxiety in patients before MRIs-and it worked. Perhaps banks could try using lavender essential oil diffusers in their branches to calm the nerves of their customers.
Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of neurology at the Smell and Taste Treatment Research Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, studied the effect of odors on shoppers’ opinions of a product and the urge to spend more. He found out that YES – an odor CAN influence a shopper’s opinion. But how? The theory is that because small is a chemical sense tied to the emotional center of the brain, it has a powerful impact on mood and behavior. Hirsch says, “The portion of the brain that controls smell is located in the limbic lobe, the center part of the brain that also controls emotions. The quickest way to change emotions is with smell.”
What scents will you use to sell your home?
