Smokers' houses harder to sell

Wilmington (DE) News Journal ^ | September 26, 2003 | Maureen Milford

[engrpat]

Same here. We wanted to buy a house near our daughter in Lebanan, TN. Found a house we really liked but the smoke smell was over powering. We thought it over and then figured what it would cost to replace carpets, drapes, wallpaper, etc it wasn't worth the time, money or effort. I know that smokers will say this is just some more interference into their rights. Not at all. Just the market place at work.

[CSM]

"What brings down the price is that many people feel intimidated by the idea of a macho manly independent smoker!

Living in the house of a smoker would remind them that they are just little girly men."

The first logical answer in this thread! Mr. Smith you are a genius!

[SheLion]

I can't comment much on this.........this type of article only opens us up to more negative comments by the NON smoking crowd. As you read the posters, their words just turn me off.

Thank God I am not selling my house. It is my cacoon, and I am happy here.

[sauropod]

ping

[SheLion]

There is no Lie about the stink and filth

STINK AND F I L T H????????? Where do you get off!

[SheLion]

If you smoke in your house, you are driving down your property value on resale, its just a pure and simple fact.

And how about those of us who have to heat in the winter with WOOD FIRES???? I have a big wood furnace in the basement that I used 5-6 months out of the year. Believe me......it's a good heat but a dirty one. But that's how we heat our homes here.

[sauropod]

"John Banzhaf, executive director for Action on Smoking and Health..."

Isn't this the same ambulance chasing, money grubbing lawyer that is trying to get rich on obesity (suing the fast food industry) lawsuits? Think he is a professor at Georgetown Law School or someplace like that.

[Gabz]

But it is a fact that if you smoke in your house there will be less of a market for your house when you decide to sell it.

Really, then why did I get exactly what I wanted for mine when I sold it????<P. Apparently my "fact" is a bit different than your "fact," both equally valid.

[Texan5]

Oh, by the way, carpet is very out of fashion, and becoming more so. It harbors dust, allergens and germs, no matter how much you clean it. I'm only re-carpeting the bedrooms at the old house, since they are the only rooms to have it. I haven't had a customer ask me to put carpet in a newly built house for several years. Wood and ceramic tile is what everyone here wants, and that's what I put in my own home. No carpet, much less smell of anything to linger...

[HamiltonJay]

Well there are 2 issues, 1 to my knowledge no, I cannot hold more than 1 months rent sec deposit after 1st year for a tenant. And yes I do have insurance that would cover MAJOR damage IE tenant completely trashes property... however it won't cover smoke from smoking.

2nd as to damages, damages have 2 costs, 1 the actual cost of the repair, and 2 the lost revenue while the repair is going on. Insurance nor sec dep charge will cover the latter of these. Its one thing to get the check to cover a repair, its another to lose the revenue you lose because you cannot rent the property out.

I landlord on the side, and frankly anything that is likely to increase my time to get a property ready after a tenant leaves is something to be avoided. I have no issue with your suggestions, but I doubt they would change my policy.

[Gabz]

The disclosure stuff bothers me as well. If, as they so-called "experts" including many posting on this thread are correct - there will be no grounds for suit, because if it is so bad, they will immediately know it is a smokers house.

Many people have a lot of work when they buy a new home. They have to clean, do landscape, paint, lay carpet, fix roofs, fix furnaces and a/c, etc. Another case of the non smoker's laziness.

You are correct. when I first bought the place in dover we spent untold hours and money on all of those things. The place had been a rental unit, and while the tenants didn't smoke - they sure as heck were pigs.

But the way I looked at it was that I would be paying less in mortgage than I had been paying in rent, so I put in some sweat equity. I lived there for just about 11 years and more than made all the money back when I sold it for what I was asking for it.

[doc30]

Just bought a house from major smokers. Place really smelled bad, but didn't worry about it. There was enough remodelling to be done that the smoke smell and stains were history when I got done with the place. The whole place needed to be repainted, trimmed and carpeted anyway so the presence of the smoke smell was moot. At least the amount I spent was about equal to the difference between the appraised value and what I paid for it :)

[HamiltonJay]

STINK AND FILTH.. I get off by having to smell and clean up the tar, smoke and god knows what else left by smokers in homes routinely.

Sorry, tar and other things permeate the paint, the walls, the carpent, and everything in the home... you can't wash it way.

And if you find cigarette smoke a pleasant odor, then that's definately a difference of opinion.

[Gabz]

If you smoke in your house, you are driving down your property value on resale, its just a pure and simple fact.

Your "fact" is different then my "fact" of getting exactly what I wanted out of it.

If you don't like the smell, then don't buy the house - it's very simple.

There is no Lie about the stink and filth that a house of a smoker has versus a non smoker.

That is an extremely nasty thing to say to a fellow FReeper. You have no clue what my house was like. If you don't like it don't buy it, but to become insulting is absolutely uncalled for.

[swarthyguy]

Good thing the Osama didn't include smoking in his litany against Civilisation.

He missed a definite wedge issue.

[CSM]

"I get off by having to smell and clean up the tar, smoke and god knows what else left by smokers in homes routinely."

Why take such a harsh stance? In our reasonable discussions you have said that you chose not to rent to smoking tenents. This clean-up must be after you chose to purchase a home that was previously inhabitated with smokers. You chose to purchase that house, probably a reduced price, and do the work to make it rentable.

That "stink and filth" most likely created a deal for you.

[Gabz]

I'm not making myself out to be a victim. I was making reference to the real estate industry in the state of Delaware.

I sold my house for what I wanted for it, I'm not a victim.

As to it limiting who buys the house - when no one is shown the house, no one can make a decision about whether they find something wrong or not, can they? But that goes back to my comments regarding the real estate industry and the particular agent I had in the beginning - nothing to do with smoking or not.

[CSM]

Yep, and your offer was based on the cost of the work that would be required. Any self respecting home buyer knows how to work the formula that says, new carpets = $x, offer = $asking price - $x.

Regardless of the status of the sellers, the buyer should be able to figure out what clean-up/paint/carpet/etc. is needed and figure out that cost.

[Vladivostok]

Found a house we really liked but the smoke smell was over powering.

As is your right to pass on the purchase for whatever reason you like. Eventually though, as the anti-smoking crowd gains MADD like power, "you", as a potential buyer of say, your "dream home" will be able to successfully sue the smoking owner for interference with "your" pursuit of happiness because "you" were cheated out of being able to enjoy that purchase by a smoker.