Buying a smokers house

joirish

Hi, I have seen a house I really like however the current owners are obviously smokers. When I went for the viewing as soon as the door opened the smell of cigarettes was REALLY strong.

The house has everything we are looking for and I was wondering if anyone has any esperience of buying a smokers house and having it cleaned up etc. The decor is really dated so we would be redecorating and changing carpets etc but just after some advice really. Also do you think it would be a good negotiating tactic to use the fact it needs cleaning to make it habitable? It is a very large 4 bedroomed detached house and so will need a lot of scrubbing walls etc. In the house description it was described as "immaculate" which isn't the term I would have used due to the pong but I do understand that any smokers out there would probably be oblivious to the smell and so it's a personal opinion.

Thanks for any help or advice.

Ether_4

Leave some white vinegar out over night a week and the smell should disappear

msgnomey

We once cleaned nicotine off a ceiling with a mop and soapy water!!!

I also went to look at a house (that I didn't put in an offer on) that stank of cigarettes so badly I had an asthma attack, I could taste cigarettes on my lips after we went outside!!

On the plus side, our current house was a bit smoky and once we cleaned the carpets and wiped down the walls it was fine, the first time I used the shower was a bit of an eye opener as the steam ran down the walls in yellow rivulets (the bathroom was the worst), that was the first place we scrubbed and painted.

I guess it depends how much you love the house really!!!

freeman3030

Hi, if I were you I would negotiate hard. Before I bought my flat I knew a smoker owned it as the nicotine stains were everywhere but it had been empty for a year so the smell had dissipated somewhat. Every wall had to be sugar shaped at least twice and the nicotine still managed to bleed through. We plastered the lounge ceiling (as it was artex) and the nicotine even got through that! So we've had to use stain block in places too.
I don't mean to put you off, but be very a aware that it's no small undertaking, I would say it almost took us twice as long to decorate because of nicotine.
Use it as an excuse for a low ball offer.
Good luck though!

Swampy3k

if it's your dream house go for it, I would rather have nicotine smells rather than something like damprot. There are old wivestales on how to rid the smell etc and you may need to redecorate alittle more than you planned but after awhile the smells fade as you replace them with your own

ging84

don't try and negotiate on the fact they are smokers, you will probably put their backs up
just negotiation on the fact it is dated and needs redecorating

moneyistooshorttomention

The house I bought recently was a smokers' house. I didn't try to use that as a bargaining tool personally (though I can sympathise with that, particularly coming from circles where most people don't smoke).

I put in a lower offer on the basis of it needing a lot of work doing generally (probate house and accordingly old-fashioned).

Airing and cleaning alone will go nowhere in removing the smell. I am finding it is gradually going as I go through the house gutting it pretty much. I still caught a few "whiffs" at intervals a week or so ago and I've been here some months now. A bit more goes with each room that gets stripped of wallpaper and has a new floorcovering going down. I am also replastering the house totally (ceilings and walls) incidentally, though I doubt it would be necessary to go that far specifically in order to get rid of the smell. I am replastering because the walls and ceilings weren't good enough condition anyway.

If the house was in ready to move into condition (big if...as I figure only 5% of houses would come into that category on a generous assessment) then I would negotiate on the basis that it needed redecorating and new floor coverings throughout because of the smoker. But, with so very very few houses not needing redecorating and new floor coverings anyway, then a discount would be expected for that anyway (regardless of whether the previous owner had been a smoker or no).

getmore4less

Gut it of everything soft, clean it down and strip wallpaper BEFORE you move your stuff in, clean walls ceilings onto the carpets as you will be best to chuck them out.

You will reduce risk of X contamination and stand a chance.

moneyistooshorttomention

getmore4less wrote: »

Gut it of everything soft, clean it down and strip wallpaper BEFORE you move your stuff in, clean walls ceilings onto the carpets as you will be best to chuck them out.

You will reduce risk of X contamination and stand a chance.

Though maybe OP isn't able to hold off from putting their stuff in the house before its done. I certainly wasn't. My stuff and I had to move in on the day of completion.

I wouldn't think any of my furniture will pick up previous owners smells????? My curtains have had to be put up anyway at the outset (as previous ones didn't necessarily even fit - too short/too narrow) and they are just having to be washed once the particular room they are in has been gutted.

getmore4less

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Though maybe OP isn't able to hold off from putting their stuff in the house before its done. I certainly wasn't. My stuff and I had to move in on the day of completion.

I wouldn't think any of my furniture will pick up previous owners smells????? My curtains have had to be put up anyway at the outset (as previous ones didn't necessarily even fit - too short/too narrow) and they are just having to be washed once the particular room they are in has been gutted.

The soft furnishings and clothes will pick up the smell, as you are going room to room the cycle will go on for much longer.

One issue is you will be getting used to it.

You can get very good neutralizers that are used in places like hotels ships where they can't gut a contaminated room.

cath708

Sugar soap, and lots of it, everywhere