Smokers' houses harder to sell

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

[Gabz]

As tobacco has become less socially acceptable and home buyers are more aware of indoor air quality, houses that reek of cigarette smoke are becoming a harder sell, experts report.

"It definitely is a major turnoff," said Michael Wilson, a real estate agent with Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors in Brandywine Hundred. "Buyers immediately think about what they'll have to do to eliminate the odor. It's a real drawback and a real negative."

[Mears]

Where on earth do you live where rental property can be purchased for $100,000.00?

[Mears]

Your predictions about smoking in one's own home ring true. Whatever happened to "The Land of the Free"?

[Mears]

I repeat,where in the name of heaven do you find a house for $79,000.00 today. We paid that for our house in 1977.

[Mears]

God,Gabz,I remember those vinegar days. My Sheltie is now almost 13 years old. Tough to watch her decline,but I'm declining right along with her,cigarette in one hand,coffee in the other.

[HamiltonJay]

I am in Pittsburgh, PA... but there are many places you can get a nice house in good neighborhood for under 100k in this country.

[HamiltonJay]

Oh, and just for the record, if you want to go into the lower end in this marketplace, you can get move in condition homes in the 30s-40s no problem as well.

[Mears]

Thank you so much for your reply regarding real estate prices. I find those figures incredible since I am in a Boston suburb where the median house price is $605,000.00.

If I was starting out I would get the heck out of the Northeast,the prices are inflated and it's very tough for the average person to get into the housing market.

Good luck with all your projects!!!

[HamiltonJay]

Yes, I lived in the San Fran Bay area at the height of the boom and housing prices were over 600k for a 1200 sq ft house in the neighborhood I lived. Every markets different.

There are the hyper insane markets, where prices are ghastly, Boston, NYC area, etc. Which can be appreciation gold mines. But when they fall, they fall hard, and hurt the newest buyer (ala boston circa late 80s/early 90s) or the bay area circa 2000/2001.

But there are a lot of places where appreciation is minimal but steady. In this market, appreciation is very modest, can't buy a house today and sell it 2 years later for a 90k profit like someone I know in DC area did... here you'd take a bath on the resale as you would likely not get much more than what you bought for if anything.

I can't complain about where I am in terms of cost of living, I make good money here, and to make the equivalent to maintain my standard of living in say Boston would require my salary to nearly double. The median HOUSEHOLD income here is something like 35-40k.

Of course I don't see boston in my future, already did one liberal bastion, don't think I could do another one.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I smoke, but I can't for the life of me understand why other smokers insist on smoking indoors.

As long as I've been a smoker, I've never smoked inside my own house...the stale smoke just bothers me. I always smoke outside...in some wierd paradox, I feel compelled to have fresh air while smoking...lol...go figure.

[Mears]

Aw,come on! You don't want to come to Boston for the DNC next summer.

They are trying to keep the bars open later so that all the Kennedy Democrat types can drink.Much discussion about this so-called problem in the local papers.

I think I'll leave the area for a week.