SMOKING IN THE HOUSE

I received a message from an old friend through Realtor.ca the other day. Morley Davidson mentioned that his granddaughter had been part of a team that filed a report on a study they conducted at San Diego State University on the long-term effects of smoking in the house and the after effects that remain as a result. He was kind enough to send me a copy and after reading it I couldn’t help but remember some of the trials and tribulations I had along the way with clients that think it’s perfectly OK to light up in the house. Short response to that is IT ISN’T. Not even close. Over the years there have been the need to disclose things like UFFI, asbestos and whether not the home was used as a grow operation, but to date there hasn’t been anything official about the need to disclose whether or not there was a smoker living in the house that actually smoked indoors. That may be a change that’s coming. If you have ever visited a home that has a history of indoor smokers, it can be quite daunting. Once they decide to sell, they try to hide the smell by painting the walls. That may help in the short term but it doesn’t change the fact that the smoke has become ingrained in the actual fabric of the home. All the paint or odour eaters in the world can’t change that. It would take a full overhaul and possibly even renovating completely. I had a couple that wanted to sell their home in mid-town Oshawa many years ago. Trouble is, they both smoked in the house. On the first few occasions I visited the property they’d be in the kitchen puffing away like there was nothing wrong with it. The place smelled like an old overfilled ashtray. So I was adamant that smoking in the home was a no-no. And they would need air fresheners and an air purifier to at least start getting rid of the stale smoke. We all agreed, given the circumstances, that was at least a step in the right direction. So what happened next? I showed up to drop off some pamphlets and there he was in the bedroom puffing away. I asked if he remembered that we agreed no more in-house smoking. His response? I have the window open. Ok, fat lot of good that will do. Still stinks. Needless to say it took me three months to realize they wouldn’t stop what they were doing. They were also asking too much for the home and stubborn about the price. I cancelled the listing. Another time I was asked to do an evaluation on a condo in downtown Oshawa. The owner was an alcoholic that sat in the place and drank and chain-smoked all day. Every day. I gagged when I walked in the door and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Suffice to say I never got that listing and was glad about it. So much of what was acceptable in the “good old days” no longer is, with good reason. So if you smoke in your home, or know someone that does, it’s time you stopped. For your own good especially and for the good of the sale of your home. It may someday be mandatory to report a history of smoke in the home..

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