Will the smell of your home make it sell for more?
Scents and aromas have been shown to have an effect on people’s moods and emotions, but will filling your house with a beautiful aroma increase its value?
Existing research suggests that aromatic citrus scents could help your house sell for more, so realestate.com.au teamed up with popular celebrity MasterChef Gary Mehigan and aroma specialist Dr Megan Thornton to find out.
In a two-minute film, they test six scents with 44 people inspecting a single property in a series of ‘scent groups’, each one testing a unique aroma ranging from citrus and roast chicken to chocolate brownies and freshly baked bread.
The individuals in each group were then asked what they thought the home is worth.
The citrus test-group did indeed value the house the highest.
Dr Thornton said people are weary of stronger scents because they think they are being tricked, or something is being covered up – like mould.
“If it is too obvious they might undervalue the home, so that is why a subtle scent works better,” she said.
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“Simple scents can be less distracting for people so they actually spend time processing what is around them.
“Citrus is associated with people’s perceptions of being clean and pleasant. So linking your property to these perceptions is ideal, especially when you’re trying to sell your house.”
Chef Mehigan said he thought the smell of baked bread would be the winner.
“Not so. Citrus scents are the most appealing at an open for inspection. So while I reckon my brownies and bread pass the taste test, it’s lemons, limes and oranges that will make noses sing.”
Elizabeth Minogue, executive general manager of media and marketing at realestate.com.au said the real estate portal created ‘Sale Scents’ because a significant portion of its audience visits for news, insights and entertainment.
“Gary Mehigan is one of Australia’s best loved chefs,” she said.
“He encompasses the emotional connection we place between home and food, which we know will resonate with our audience.”
