Smoking Odors Can Turn Off Buyers Big Time
As if the negative health effects and cost of cigarette smoking are not enough to get you to stop, a recent article in the Chicago Tribune cites a survey of 400 Canadian real estate agents and brokers, sponsored by Pfizer Canada, found that smoking in the home could lower the value of your property by up to 29 per cent.
A heightened awareness by non-smokers of a home with smoking odors can make a smoker’s property difficult to sell. Smoke can permeate almost all surfaces and fabrics in a home and leaves odors and smells that are difficult to eliminate.
The impact of smoking in the home is not just cosmetic – it may significantly affect property values. Almost half, 44% of real estate agents and brokers surveyed said smoking in the home affects resale value. Of these, 32% said smoking in the home may lower the value by 10-19% and another 32% said it may lower the value by 20-29 per cent.
Over half of the survey respondents say buyers are less likely to buy a home where the owners have smoked, with 27% of that group unwilling even to consider a home in which the sellers smoke.
Wallingford PA Real Estate – Wallingford, PA 19086
