“And hope, if it had a scent would smell like spring, like rain, like something new and alive.”
- 'Jennifer Rush, Reborn'
Spring is finally upon us – YAS! It is time to throw open those windows and doors, clean out the cupboards and pack away all of those heavy blankets and throws (well, apart from us Maine Folk, we should probably keep a hold of those for a while longer!) and SPRING CLEAN. The warmer weather is a definite motivator to remove all of that stale stagnant air and energy and welcome the new!
Another pastime for many brought with this season is readying ones home for sale – I mean it's picture perfection with blossoms, green grass (sometimes) and the sweet springtime sunshine, who wouldn’t want to buy (or sell!), amiright?!
A question I am asked quite often is – what fragrance should I burn during open houses and inspections?
Now, let’s remove the pressure (because there is a lot of emotions flying around when we sell our homes, as well as deadlines; and if you have kids, trying to keep rooms tidy is probably the HARDEST thing to do – I get you friends, it’s an anxious nerve wracking time!) so along with my top tips on scenting your home, I’ve also been chatting with our favorite local Realtor®, Erin Chisholm of EXIT Oceanside Realty in Wells, Maine, to give you her run-down on readying your home.
It’s going to be quick, easy and we are all about less drama and MAXIMUM impact for all the senses.
“Presentation is KEY to selling your home. You want your home to have the best first impression of buyers as they walk through, just as you do when you meet someone new." Says Erin, who has grown up in the real estate industry all her life - going to closings with her mother who is a real estate attorney, and assisting her in her business before starting her own. She has an eye for detail and a knack for presenting homes to their fullest and most beautiful potential. "My favorite part of being a Realtor® is being able to help amazing families find a home that they love and that makes their lives so much better. I work with a lot of out-of-state clients who are looking to escape other New England cities and have a place to come and relax on the weekend or to make a permanent lasting relocation. The look on my clients’ faces when they find and get the home of their dreams is one of my favorite things in the entire world!"
"Real Estate right now is nothing like anyone has ever seen, low interest rates and low inventory of homes on the market have made us have to get creative for buyers. For sellers, it has been nerve-wracking during a pandemic to feel comfortable letting strangers into their homes. I always tell my buyers to get pre-approved before even thinking about looking for a new home, to be ready to go see any home that they are interested in as soon as it hits their email box (courtesy of a custom listing alert that I send every morning) and to be open to looking at homes they might not have originally thought they wanted because sometimes those end up being the best ones!"
"When I work with sellers, I stress that the staging is KEY. When a buyer walks into their home we want them to be able to envision themselves living there. This means removing your personal photos, making sure the home smells amazing (this is where Sea Love always comes in), the home is clean and the décor is up to date and enhances the home and does not detract from it."
Awesome advice, Erin! With the initial aesthetics handled - let’s get down to scent. It is an important feature of any home, being open, inspected or lived in.
- Firstly (and most importantly) make sure you aren’t masking any BAD smells that live anywhere, from moldy/musty smells. Find it at the source because people can smell the candles and fragrances but it is guaranteed they’ll SMELL you trying to cover up something, too!
- Light those candles at least 1-2 hours prior to the open home. It will give your candle enough time to heat and melt the wax and the scent to filter through your designated areas
- Go with subtle and gentle – the sensory glands are in overdrive anyway and rather than adding to that go with only a few candles placed in the larger areas of the home or at the door, the middle and back door to create the flow, the scent will travel at its own pace and delightfully so.
- Choose one scent – keep it simple. There is only a short time frame that your prospective purchaser will be walking through the home and possibly with other people doing the same, accessorizing rooms with scents is fun but with traffic and movement this feature can definitely be jumbled all into one and cause a negative impact if not an impact at all.
- When in doubt – choose citrus, it can be a blend such as lavender and lemongrass or just the straight lemon, but citrus scents have a lasting and positive effect on people which adds to the effect you are wanting to create in having open houses/inspections. Its fresh, clean and pleasant and will leave them with an everlasting positive effect long after they’ve left.
Now you have all the know-how and go-to steps to readying your homes for sale and opening them up to purchasers; below you will find our recommended Sea Love scents, all of which currently are the best sellers!
Erin would also like to extend a little DISCOUNT code below! For any additional home buying/selling questions you may have, you can connect with Erin at www.erinchisholmrealtor.com, Instagram @erinchisholmrealtor, Facebook @ facebook.com/ErinChisholmRealtor, by email: erin@exitoceansiderealty.com and by phone at 207.337.3270
"My goal is for my business to be an extension of myself and my values as a human being. I want all clients to feel heard, valued, and respected. I want them to know that I work with honesty, integrity, and only their best interests in mind."
Photos Courtesy of Elizabeth Ivy Photography