Getting rid of cigarette smoke

Emily_Joy

Noneforit999 said:
My sister in law moved into a place which had been smoked in, she replaced every floor, painted every surface including the kitchen cabinets and even now 2 years later, I can smell the house has been smoked in as soon as I walk through the door, although its a lot better than it was before. 

Yuck... 2 years passed and you can still feel the smell! That's definitely too much... We will need to replace the whole kitchen of course.

Emily_Joy

GrumpyDil said:

Emily_Joy said:

We would like to have the house livable (by us) within no more than 3 months after exchange of contracts, this means we need to get rid of the nicotine by then.

Is the house empty and you have agreement to get work done after exchange and before completion or do you mean within three months of completion?

Just wondering about the time line as it would be unusual to be able to start work before completion. 

The owners are still in the house at the moment and need to sell before they start looking where to move.. I meant after exchange of contracts, as I would like completion not to be much later. With such a major work it would be better to do it in summer.

mi-key

To be honest I think if you are hoping to reduce the price by enough to replace the kitchen, redecorate the whole house and all new carpets and curtains ( which the sellers will get no benefit from ) then you will probably get turned down.  Smokers houses sell all the time ( as do those with other things like pet odours or other problems ) , and there will be buyers out there who aren't as fussy

Unless you are buying a new build, then these are all common things house buyers do anyway to get the house to their taste. If you make an offer on a house, you don't reduce the price because you want to change cosmetic things when you live there. 

UnderOffer

We purchased a smokers house. We removed all carpets, wallpaper and redecorated throughout. We also had a new kitchen and all new appliances fitted as well as double glazing added. Only original items left were the internal doors, radiators and bathroom suite. 

Smoke smell did disappear, however the one area it lingered was the under stairs cupboard, every time we opened the door (freshly glossed and carpeted inside) it smelt of stale smoke. Wasn’t too much of an issue for us and eventually barely noticed. 

We purchased in Apr, moved in June, so within 3 months it was a different property, and loved living there. 

Emily_Joy

mi-key said:

To be honest I think if you are hoping to reduce the price by enough to replace the kitchen, redecorate the whole house and all new carpets and curtains ( which the sellers will get no benefit from ) then you will probably get turned down.  Smokers houses sell all the time ( as do those with other things like pet odours or other problems ) , and there will be buyers out there who aren't as fussy

It is simply overpriced. The seller will always go for an agent that offers the highest evaluation and it is not always realistic one.

mi-key

Emily_Joy said:

mi-key said:

To be honest I think if you are hoping to reduce the price by enough to replace the kitchen, redecorate the whole house and all new carpets and curtains ( which the sellers will get no benefit from ) then you will probably get turned down.  Smokers houses sell all the time ( as do those with other things like pet odours or other problems ) , and there will be buyers out there who aren't as fussy

It is simply overpriced. The seller will always go for an agent that offers the highest evaluation and it is not always realistic one.

Not always, people often get 3 agents round and pick the middle valuation. There is no point having your house on the market not selling because you have gone with an agent who valued it loads more than the others, however nice it may be in theory to think you are going to get that !

It is so easy these days to see what comparable houses are for sale for, or have sold for recently that sellers often have a pretty good idea of the real value, and also buyers can see the same info.

Of course some sellers will stick to the high price and not consider anything under that. Can I ask how much the house is on for, and how much you think it is worth ? 

Emily_Joy

ThisIsWeird said:

Blimey. A 200-year oldie? That'll bring a whole different range of issues :-) If you go further with this one, give some serious consideration to how you'll be able to heat it efficiently - adding insulation, for example, if not already done.

There are a lot of Victorian and Georgian houses here, and they are much much better located than houses from 1950s. I would prefer Edwardian, but they are a bit too pricey. There are also conservation areas and quite a few houses from mid-17 century, which are affordable (to us) but we don't like them much.

Emily_Joy

mi-key said:  Can I ask how much the house is on for, and how much you think it is worth ?

Guide price 450, similar houses around are under offer/sold stc for 360-375. I would not offer more than 390-400. 

GDB2222

We have just redecorated a room that was heavily smoked in. Two days of thorough washing of the walls, and then FOUR coats of Delux Trade emulsion later it does look okay again. 

Other rooms in the house just needed a wipe of the walls, followed by two coats of paint. 

I’d say the smoked in room was 3 to 4 times the work.  Wardrobes and kitchen units may have to be replaced, as well as floor coverings, light fixtures and maybe the windows. 

 I’d definitely be looking for a very large discount.  

mi-key

Hard surfaces don't tend to trap smells that much - kitchen units and windows should be fine with a good clean.