There are some wonderful new methods of making properties more appealing to buyers these days. Aside from staging a property so that it looks its absolute best, some real estate agents are using the ancient concept of aromatherapy (using smells to elicit feelings from a person) to maximize the potential of a property. While you may be thinking that a nice ocean breeze scent or the smell of home-baked chocolate chip cookies would be wonderful smells to discover during an open house or property viewing, some agents are going so far as to create customized scents for individual buildings.

In the article A Whiff of ‘Welcome Home  in The Wall Street Journal, a condominium developer in Miami created a custom scent that would  “evoke the feeling of a beach breeze on a warm day”  – even though the condominium is nowhere near the beach! Some of their other scents include citrus for the fitness center, coconut and orange for the rooftop pool area, and tea scents for the spa.

Smell can have such a strong impact on people’s memories and cause them to associate properties with positive emotions. By making sure that all five senses are taken into account when impressing a prospective buyer, a real estate agent is doing their utmost and best work. Scent is a marketing tool and it should be used to help sell a property whenever possible.

I often use scented candles and other natural fragrances during a viewing or open house, but I am inspired to perhaps create some of my own “custom” combinations like the condominium developer in Miami. To show off the gorgeous natural beach scenery in the South Bay, maybe something oceany, or tropical? Perhaps a tea rose or a fresh, cucumber scent? I’ll have fun thinking up unique scent ideas for my clients.