/ 11 February 2011

Want to sell your house? Brew coffee

Not surprisingly, certain smells will put us off renting or buying a place — stale cigarette smoke, pet odours and the smell of damp tend to turn us off. But we’re equally sensitive to good smells, so if your house smells of freshly brewed coffee or fresh flowers, you have a much better chance of selling it.

According to a recent poll conducted on behalf of ooba by PropertyGenie, 28% of people surveyed believe that the smell of freshly brewed coffee would help lure them into buying a home.

If a pot of coffee is not your thing, there are plenty of other smells that buyers say entice them: 22% of those polled said the scent of fresh flowers would attract them, followed closely by vanilla (20%), freshly baked bread (19%) and cookies (11%). But if you’re not keen on baking when you’re showing your house, you can opt for a more low-maintenance ploy — buy scented flowers or opt for vanilla-scented incense.

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