"The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies." - Neil Gaiman, "American Gods: The Author's Preferred Text"
Builders and agents have discovered a new way to sell homes - developing unique scents for freshly built condos, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Gone are the days when you walk into a new house and revel in the smell of fresh paint or new wood. Borrowing the tactic from the hotel industry, the property industry is working to cultivate "signature smells," the Journal reports.
Construction may not have started yet on Zaha Hadid's One Thousand Museum condo apartments in Miami, but developers have already decided on a scent for reception reminiscent of a sunny, warm morning at the beach.
That's not all. The 62-story high-rise condo will have four distinguished scents for its spa (tea and spice scents), the fitness centers (citrus with a hint of dark wood) and the roof-top aquatic center (creamy coconut with a little bit of orange flower). All the scents have been developed in collaboration with 12.29, a New York-based "olfactive" branding company.
Other buildings like the Printing House in Manhattan's West Village, and 1010 Brickell in Miami will also have unique smells pumping into their interiors via machines. But the trick lies in subtlety, say specialists. The fragrances must not feel like perfume but like the natural breeze, Samantha and Dawn Goldworm, twin sisters and co-founders of 12.29, told the Journal.
Luxury Marketing for Luxury Property?
According to experts, scents have now become a type of "logo" for a building, although the phenomenon remains squarely in the realm of luxury properties. Keeping the house tidy and smelling fairly neat are still sellers' top tools when it comes to pleasing the senses of potential buyers in the regular market. Besides a fresh batch of cookies, using candles and herbal wreaths can make your home smell good naturally.
"To obtain top dollar and sell quick, dress to impress, maintain your home in good order, keep up to date with fittings and styles and then at selling time - stage to attract the buyer demographic," Andrew Winter, host of Selling Houses Australia, told News.com.
Also, with technology taking up a major part of the buy-sell experience, stunning photographs of the home's staged interiors and exteriors can help sell a home faster. Videos or virtual tours work too, reports The Telegraph.
Marketing has always been a dynamic factor, with no set rules of what works and what doesn't.
"No one knows what features will sell your home better than you do. Buyers crave those extra details and insights into the neighborhood that only the homeowner can provide," Eddie Tyner, general manager of ForSaleByOwner.com, told Marin News.
