Getting your house ready to go on the market can include a long to-do list.
Often, that entails a fresh coat of paint and decluttering, depersonalizing, enhancing curb appeal and other touch-ups. But how about incorporating a new scent specially made for real estate sellers?
Real estate agent Katie Zarpas, who has worked in the industry for 16 years with the last five for Long & Foster, said she recommends her clients do a deep cleaning of their home to eliminate any unpleasant odors that may be caused by moisture, pets, cooking or old house smell.
She suggests they change the heating, ventilation and air conditioning filter, steam clean and deodorize carpets and open blinds and windows to let in fresh air.
“Each home is unique,” Zarpas said. “After the home is clean, I introduce a scent using reed diffusers, spray misters with my favorite essential oils, fresh flowers and, in some cases, used dryer sheets in closets.”
And now that Long & Foster Real Estate has developed and launched its signature home scent fragrance, LF68, Zarpas can add that memorable sensory element.
The LF68 scent has the potential to help create a vision, a connection and an interpretation of how a new family might make the space its own, Zarpas said. That’s important when staging a home, particularly for high-end listings.
Chantilly-based Long & Foster garnered the help of the French fragrance house Mane to create the scent, which includes champagne rose, rhubarb, lemon, powder and lavender. The name references the year 1968 when Long & Foster entered the real estate industry.
Zarpas said she is delighted to see the company at the forefront of marketing innovation.
“We are the very first residential real estate company to tap into the potential of using scent in marketing, with a signature scent for our brand — or olfactive logo — and a unique and unified way to present our listings to our clients,” she said.
Elena Solovyov, Long & Foster’s director of marketing, said in a news release the firm had been thinking about a scent for some time.
“LF68 showcases our commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative marketing in the real estate space,” she said. “It’s sophisticated and elegant, reflective of our brand, and an incredibly modern form of experiential marketing that no one in the residential marketplace is doing.”
Currently only available to Long & Foster agents, LF68 will be on the market — both online and at its offices — in time for the holiday season. A 250-milliliter glass bottle with reeds costs $150.
“Emotions are a major factor in the real estate experience,” Solovyov said. “Our aim has always been to provide incredible service and deliver on our customers’ expectations. A bespoke home fragrance allows us to tap into those emotions and help our customers experience their perfect home and create lasting memories.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-222-5356, sandra.pennecke@insidebiz.com
Source: Long & Foster creates scent to attract homebuyers – Inside Business
