Would you buy a smelly house?

[silkcut100]

One that smelt of cigarette smoke?

Absolutely not.

I did, a flat, but I knew it was a project. The small was smoke, and urine stains from a cat I think.

Ripped up the old carpets and underlay and put down laminate, painted all the rooms and ceilings, and rented a high volume fan from an equipment rental shop (which also sped up the paint dry time).

I can’t smell a thing, and I’m super sensitive.

Yes. We also bought a smelly house by accident - god knows how the vendor managed to disguise it, but we didn’t realise until we moved in that several rooms utterly reeked of cat piss. I remember being on all fours, 3 weeks after a traumatic ECS, crying as I rolled up stained, minging carpet and put my hand through a floorboard that had literally rotted through with urine. But it was a really lovely house in the end.

It definitely wouldn’t put me off if I was intending to do work to the place anyway - you might even get a bargain because other people won’t take it on. But if you’re looking to just move your stuff in and get on with life, then no way.

My BIL/SIL bought a house that smelt so bad, I mean shockingly bad in an excellent location about 25 years ago.

It was the home of a reclusive man, with a large west facing garden.

They undoubtedly got it at an discount.
The filthy smell was putting many off.

They cleared the house of absolutely everything.

The carpets were so shockingly bad.
A horrendous smell of urine.

They washed all walls and all the old wooden floors with a disinfectant mix.

They replaced the kitchen and bathrooms inexpensively.

They white washed all walls.

The difference in one month was unbelievable.

My SIL undoubtedly drove the buy as she was from the area and this house, smelly as it was, was excellent value for money, and in their budget.

A couple of skips and a weekend of hard stinky work clearing the house really paid off.
Their families could see the potential very quickly too.

Washing walls and floors will get rid of any smell.

Just get rid of all soft furnishings.

nope.

Not a cat in hells chance.

We went to view a house once, walked into the porch, got the smell of smoke and walked right back out.

It's only worth it if you're literally prepared to hack everything back to the structure.

Nope. A relative did recently, spent hours scrubbing the walls and it still smells.

Possibly yes, if I thought the property had potential and if it was priced accordingly (ie would need a full refurb).

@NoHeavenNoMore

No... because I can imagine, knowing my luck, I'd have to knock back to bare brick to get rid of the smell. Plus I hate painting ceilings

I have nothing against smokers it would just smell really strong to me as I'm not around smoke often at all.

Plus I hate painting ceilings

[Missing the point of the thread ...]

You just like bare plaster?? (In which case you're probably going to need to have the ceilings in any house skimmed so cigarette smell would be cured!)

No.

Not in a million years.

In some cases, you will never fully get rid of the smell, might as well practically rebuild the place.

My parents bought a flat that stank of cigarette smoke and DM is very house proud. What worked for them was changing all carpets, wallpaper , getting a new kitchen and new bathroom - just stripping it all back and removing things that could 'hold' the smell. Also opening windows.

I also bought DM two reed diffusers from Molton Brown and that really made a big difference too. You'd walk into the hall and the diffuser smell would hit you first, not the cigarette smoke.

Within a few months, you no longer noticed the fag smoke.

So get yourselves over to the threads where people are discussing how to get a property and get over your privilege. No matter how shabby, how smelly, it's all do-able.

I viewed a house with DS and DDIL that had been stripped bare of furniture and furnishings but according to the agent the previous tenant had kept chickens in the house and had several cats. The stink was so bad DDIL pulled the neck of her jumper over her mouth and nose, my eyes were running DS didn;t even bother going upstairs, When I said to the agent "You cannot be serious" he said it had been deep cleaned prior to going on the market, and in all fairness it was clean.
In my estimation all the floor boards would have had to be replaced, plus the walls replastered and the units in the kitchen/ diner ripped out, there was no way anyone could've lived in it otherwise,

I know my house smells of smoke i will lower the price for someone who wants to redo everything

depends really if you want it

I would if everything else about it was right.

I might insist on a professional clean on the exchange of contract though - even though I know that wouldn’t totally solve the issue.

Yes if it was a project and I was gutting it. Definitely no if it was a 'done' house.

No.

I read somewhere you can rent an ozone machine that hotels use for removing odours, I don't know anything about it though.

Sorry, I now see someone else mentioned that above.

I wouldn’t ever buy a smokers house again because the stink goes right down to the brickwork. Been there done that, the bill to re plaster was huge. Never again.

We did buy a doggy house though. Thankfully not pee/poo or anything just general uncleanliness and it did take a few deep cleans to get the smell out! Worth it though, we paid way under market value for a period property on a very quiet street with no opposite neighbours.

Definitely not.

Definitely would.

Bought a house where the owners had had a minimum of 7 indoor cats for the previous15 years.

The smell was appalling - to the extent the agents said some people wouldn't go round.

Hired the kind of cleaners that councils use to clean up murder scenes and delayed the removal men for 24 hours so they could go in and clean the place with no boxes etc.

House was Grade II listed with original C16th floorboards that you can't take up or use much water on. Nothing could be pulled up or off.

Oh and DH has a severe cat allergy...

Took 6 months to remove the smell completely - vinegar and bicarb of soda mix to wash things, copious amounts of Febreeze the first few months and then room scent stuff (True Grace 'Sacristy' and 'Library' were the best for covering it)

No, we viewed one recently and it was fucking sickening. I kind of stormed out in a coughy, disgusted huff. Vile.

Fed that back to the EA. They were horrified too really. Was fucking foul.

No, I'm quite sensitive to smells anyway and I was never brought up in a smoking house, so just no!

No. We've rejected houses before for that exact reason.