What % does smoking lower house price?

crazycatlady1984

Not a smoker and dont like the smell of smoke but would never be a factor when buying a house!! Thats like not buying a house because you dont like the wallpaper!!

Moved into the flat I am in six years ago, was owned by a smoker. Flat and everything in it was absolutely immaculate, apart from the fact I knew she was a smoker only signs were some small areas of discolouration high up on walls which was fixed by some paint.

Never been a hint of the smell apart from that now, 6 years on, sometimes on returing from holiday after about 2 weeks, when opening cupboard door in living room I can smell smoke, (it was used as small study and maybe she smoked in there!), which a bit of airing soon sorts out - the rest of the year, dont smell it at all.

ab7167

Depends on the house. We saw one where the amount we would pay was reduced by 100% as the price we would have needed to pay would have left us with no money for redecoration etc. But the one we ended up buying had been owned by a smoker (very heavy, I was 36 weeks pregnant on viewing and nearly puked several times), we got it for a price that allowed us to move in with inlaws for a few weeks and completely gut and renovate, therby removing the smell completely. Generally speaking, I wouldn't consider a smoker's house if complete decoration prior to moving in was not possible. I hate the smell with a passion (and I am an ex smoker).

pennypinching77

I went to view a house a few weeks ago and as soon as I stepped through the door I noticed a faint smoky smell and decided immediately is wasn't for us. The House was absolutely beautifully presented and the garden just gorgeous. I only noticed once I left the house that I didn't even notice the smell again. The house was only on the market for two weeks before being snapped up but even though I hate smoke I would have bought it anyway. However houses where the walls are ingrained with smoke and food smells are a different matter. I bought one once years back and the curry smell lingered until we sold it again.

HappyMJ

ukcarper wrote: »

I’m always surprised that people put so much say on the carpets and curtains now. The last time I moved was about 25 years ago and carpets and curtain were not normally consider part of the purchase price they might have been used in negations. With the lack of good property on the market now I would have thought it was hard enough to find a house you like let alone one with carpets and curtains to your taste.

Exactly and just how much are these carpets and curtains worth anyway. My carpets are now 10 years old. They now have zero value. Damaged in sections and generally worn. The curtains are 15 years old and also have zero value. They are terribly unevenly faded and the cat has had a field day scratching them and rubbing herself up against them to get on the window sill. I would be better off removing all carpets and curtains before even marketing my property.

Aren't all these quite cheap anyway. Basic carpet can be picked up for £4 a square metre and reasonably cheap curtains can be made for about £20 a square metre and I'm sure a buyer won't like my colours anyway and would rather choose their own colours, patterns and styles.

ukcarper

HappyMJ wrote: »

Exactly and just how much are these carpets and curtains worth anyway. My carpets are now 10 years old. They now have zero value. Damaged in sections and generally worn. The curtains are 15 years old and also have zero value. They are terribly unevenly faded and the cat has had a field day scratching them and rubbing herself up against them to get on the window sill. I would be better off removing all carpets and curtains before even marketing my property.

Aren't all these quite cheap anyway. Basic carpet can be picked up for £4 a square metre and reasonably cheap curtains can be made for about £20 a square metre and I'm sure a buyer won't like my colours anyway and would rather choose their own colours, patterns and styles.

My lounge carpet is in fairly good condition and if I was selling I would gladly leave it. But when I remove my furniture there will be depressions where it has been and the carpet where it has been will be in much better condition that the bits that have been walked especially the area in front of both sofas. The same goes for walls if it hasn’t been decorated recently when you take down your pictures the walls will not look very good.

Mind_the_Gap

jonny_power wrote: »

Probably by the cost to completely re-decorate, maybe stick a new kitchen in and new carpets. I'm sure after a while the smell will go.

I agree. The smell, although vile, will eventually go, especially if furnishings are replaced and whole place redecorated. We had to do this to a BTL once in which you couldn't move at first for overflowing ashtrays in every room. I was worried it would still stink when the new tenants moved in, but it didn't. I reckon 4-6 weeks with the windows open as much as poss and new carpets. curtains and paint will do it. I wouldn't let it put me off a bargainous property.

flora48

The house we are living in now was bought last December. The decor and fittings were appaling and it reeked of cigarettes as the old boy smoked 60 a day in what is now our clean fresh lounge. Once the carpets and curtains were taken out and the decorator got going washing down the ceilings and paintwork and our new kitchen was fitted there is not a whiff off anything except new paint. So, if you really like a place and it is the right price I would say go for it go for it.

RobertoMoir

berbastrike wrote: »

I can't stand the smell of smoke and would never buy a smoker's house. I am seeing some good houses at good prices but wondering if they all belong to smokers.

If you're really worried about this - and clearly you are having read the whole thread - then I'd suggest just looking at new build properties. That way you should be pretty sure.

Having said that (and having had a read of other people saying they would never buy a house someone had died in, etc), the house I now own used to be my mother's before she died. I inherited half and purchased the other half from my brother.

She smoked and she died in the house, so I guess half the people here wouldn't buy this house... but the house needed to be modernised and decorated throughout because it hadn't been done for a while (and yes, because I dislike the smell of smoke too) and after doing all that work I can't smell anything in the house at all. As far as I can tell you would never know a smoker had ever lived here.

Where I'm going with this is that quite often when you buy a house, it might need decorating and possibly modernising. If this is something you're going to need to do anyway as part of moving into a particular house, then perhaps the smoking will be less of an issue.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

berbastrike wrote: »

What % does smoking lower house price?.

Zero %.

Some people hate smoke smells, some people hate pet smells, some people hate curry smells, and some people just hate the smell of other people. But almost nobody is stupid enough to think that a deep clean and light redecoration won't fix it.

And for those few really obsessive and deranged people, there are these things called "newbuilds", and you're welcome to pay an expensive premium to sleep safe in the knowledge that nobody ever smoked, puked, dropped a bowl of curry, owned a pet or died in your house.

devotee

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Zero %.

Some people hate smoke smells, some people hate pet smells, some people hate curry smells, and some people just hate the smell of other people. But almost nobody is stupid enough to think that a deep clean and light redecoration won't fix it.

And for those few really obsessive and deranged people, there are these things called "newbuilds", and you're welcome to pay an expensive premium to sleep safe in the knowledge that nobody ever smoked, puked, dropped a bowl of curry, owned a pet or died in your house.

Finally some sense posted on this thread.

It was a ridiculous question anyway. If you take a 50-100 years old house you'll never know the full history of it, who lived there, died there or what else was done in it.