Louisiana Tobacco Control Program

<< Back to List

Smokers' houses harder to sell

Publish date: Feb 08, 2006

Buyers will stay away; cost to eliminate stains, odors can reach $12,000 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." Real estate agents said most sellers who smoke are aware of the negative impact smoke smells have on the marketability of their homes. So some sellers are paying for costly professional cleanups that some agents estimate can range from $2,500 to $12,000, depending on the size of the house and the work involved. In the future, some experts believe sellers will have to disclose on home condition reports if there was smoking in the house. Others in the antismoking camp believe it's only a matter of time before a buyer sues to try to force a seller to cover the cost of a major cleanup. For now, more smokers are choosing to keep their homes smoke-free by lighting up on porches or other outdoor areas for a variety of reasons, experts said. In 1994, 27 percent of smokers with children 6 and younger regularly smoked in their homes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 1998, that number had declined to 20 percent. Dawn Allen of North East, Md., saw the yellow film that collected on her television screen, the windowpanes and blinds in the house she lived in for 10 years. "It's almost like smoke damage if you had a fire. It permeates everything," Allen said. So when Allen moved into a new home in July, she made the decision not to smoke in the house. Now, when she wants a cigarette, Allen goes out on her front porch. Social norms changed For years, tobacco odors were not an issue when it came to selling a house, real estate agents said. With people lighting up in restaurants, theaters, offices, bars, hotel rooms and airplanes, many Americans were accustomed to tobacco odors. At the peak in 1966, 42.6 percent of the adult population smoked, according to the CDC. "And they smoked everywhere. You'd go to the movies and it was just a haze," said James L. Repace, head of Repace Associates Inc., a secondhand smoke consulting firm in Bowie, Md. "It was just widely accepted." But aggressive antitobacco initiatives, public awareness campaigns and smoke-free legislation at the state level slowly have changed social norms, according to health and environmental experts. John Banzhaf, executive director for Action on Smoking and Health, a national antismoking organization, estimated that the percentage of potential home buyers who smoke is probably less than the general population since smoking prevalence is higher among poorer Americans. Bonnie Ortner, a real estate agent with Patterson-Schwartz & Associates Inc. in Brandywine Hundred, said smoke odors have become so unacceptable that some sellers who don't smoke will complain if a smoker tours the house. Experts said there are no reliable studies on the health hazards of occupying a house where people have smoked. But some people, particularly those with asthma, allergies or respiratory problems, may be particularly sensitive to the pollutants that come from drapes and carpets. Pollutants also can bleed from walls, woodwork and other porous materials, experts said. Pollutant levels can be particularly high if homeowners have smoked in the house for years. Repace's research has shown that the average smoker has 28 cigarettes a day, or 10,220 cigarettes a year. Probably half of those cigarettes are smoked at home, he said. Cleaning services popular If a house reeks of smoke, real estate agents sometimes will advise sellers to hire professional cleaners who wash, seal and repaint walls, clean ductwork and run ozone air purification units in the house. Richard L. Ventresca, president of Diamond Chemical & Supply Co., said his business from cleaning smokers' houses has risen 30 percent to 40 percent in the last five years. Real estate agents estimate that the cost of a typical cleanup for an average-sized 2,100-square-foot house runs about $2,500. For a major cleaning, which involves painting and the cleaning of ductwork, the cost can reach $12,000. It's not enough just to paint the walls and woodwork, experts said. They have to be thoroughly scrubbed with a heavy duty cleaner that removes nicotine and tar. Then the walls should be washed with a product that counteracts the smell, Ventresca said. In some cases, sealant is used. "If you just paint, it loosens the nicotine and it bleeds right through," said Edward Raniszewski, a paint manager with Frank B. Shinn Paint Co. in Wilmington. Ozone air purification units also can be used to eliminate odors. Often, though, sellers try to mask the smell with plug-in air fresheners, incense, scented candles or paint, experts said. "Once they see the cost of professional cleaning, some of the smokers try to cover it up with a coat of paint," said Dan Ayers, marketing manager with Servpro of Kennett Square/Society Hill, a Pennsylvania cleaning and restoration company. Some don't light up at home As smokers have become more aware of the negative impact on their home environment, more are trying to create smoke-free houses. A 1999 California tobacco study found that 47.2 percent of smokers in that state had smoke-free homes. In 1993, only 20.1 percent of smokers had restrictions on smoking in their houses, according to the California Department of Health. Currently, sellers do not have to disclose to potential buyers that they smoke, real estate agents said. The property condition report supplied by the Delaware Real Estate Commission has no questions about smoking in the house, although there is a question about pets in the house. Secondhand smoke expert Repace sees a day when the question will be added to disclosure forms. "It's a contaminant," he said. "It will have to be disclosed like lead or asbestos." Banzhaf of the antismoking organization said he eventually expects lawsuits to be filed by home buyers who discover after settlement that there was smoking in the house. Lawsuits challenging smoking in apartments and condominiums have already been filed by landlords, condominium associations and neighbors, Banzhaf said. "If you have a $5,000 or $6,000 cleanup bill after you buy a house, that's a very unpleasant surprise," Repace said.