Monday
Sep052011
It's the way you tell 'em
Monday, September 5, 2011 at 12:46 I did an interview for BBC Tees this morning.
Subject: 'Britain's anti-smoking culture takes its toll on the property market'.
According to Globrix ("the UK's largest property search engine"), almost one-in-four buyers expect a discount if buying a house from a smoker, while eight per cent would not live in a property previously occupied by a smoker.
Looked at another way, I pointed out, and you get the following:
More than three-in-four buyers do NOT expect a discount if buying a house from a smoker, while 92 per cent WOULD live in a property previously occupied by a smoker.
Reader Comments (23)
Never say never, but one aspect that *could * put myself off a property would be if they kept cats and dogs. Like Joe Jackson I have a slight allergy to animal fur. Some houses do acquire doggy and kitty smells and while I would never turn down a house which had animals inside, it could be the deal maker or breaker.
I too have an allergy, and that is to Anti-Smokers. Do you know I have even seen secondhand cars for sale, with the ad stating "one non-smoking owner". It just puts me off straight away. I wouldn't even get in one of these cars as I know it would stink of sweets and chewing gum and sthose ghastly little carboard things that they hang from the interior mirrors....eeeugh..it jst puts me off completely.
There is also the terrible whiff of hypocracy that wafts through their haouses and cars and life in general. Not for me thank you!
It's nonsense. Many people won't have a clue whether a smoker has been living in a property and hotels manage to get rid of every trace of illicit smoking for no more than their £200 "cleaning charge". The Lowry Hotel in Manchester doesn't appear to have suffered from Wayne Rooney smoking in one of its rooms - never mind his preceding liaison with a good time girl.
It's just another aspect of smokerphobia with the gullible public led to believe that even smokers' homes are harmful when in truth it is borne from the anti-smoker industry hatred of people who smoke and a desire to take from them what is theirs either by stealing their pubs, cafes and clubs, or by devaluing their homes.
As you say Simon, this could be described in other ways favourable to smokers but it never is because they want to portray smokers as people who deserve nothing - not even the fair value of their home. This is what THS is about not health but hate and punishment. There really should be a law against it and indeed there would be if it were any other minority group.
If ever I stay in an apartment or house that has no-smoking signs, the very first thing I do is light up, in order to get rid of the ghastly smells that pervade the place. One you have the beautiful sweet aroma of a cigarette or better still a cigar, then the place begins to smell like home!
I personally do not smoke while I am in a car, but that is nothing more than a habit. If ever I get in a taxi or someone elses car, which has one of those awful smelly things hanging up, I immediately open the windows.
I know of one house that had to have all its floorboards replaced simply because the owners cooked a lot of curry.
I always think of that scenario Chas when I hear people (even smokers) who say that they do think it is wrong to smoke where people are eating in case they do not like the smell.
What the hell has the smell got to do with the smoking-ban? We were told that the ban was brought in to protect people's health because second hand smoke was life threatening.
We of course now know what an absolute load of old tosh this was (and is). Second-hand smoke is no more life threatening than an open grill in a restaurant or an outdoor BBQ.
So someone does not like a certain smell - so what? I am sure there are plenty of people who do not like the smell of a BBQ or garlic or curry or joss sticks burning - what are we to do then - ban everything that someone doesn't personally like the smell of? Absolute crap!
I was eating in a Greek restaurant on Saturday night, when someone nearby had a glass of Ouzo. I absolutely hate the smell of Ouzo - but I didn't start waving my hands around or demaning Ouzo be banned or asking for a discount meal because Ouzo was being consumed near me.
But there again, I do consider myself as a "nice person". Need I say more?
Smell is subjective Peter. People have been taught to associate it with dislike but many like the fresh aromatic smell of tobacco burning. I hate homes where there has never been any smoking. They usually stink of something awful like mould, pee, grease, or pet.
... and yes, I agree about restaurants. I can't stand people wearing perfume near me because it taints the taste of the food. Smokerphobics who hate the smell of smoke could do as I do in a restarurant when faced with someone nearby wearing perfume - move to another table!
This is a non story. Folks always look for lots of ways to get the price of a house down. It is human nature, as to pay the estate agent's asking price has never been the norm. Using the smoking ploy for a discount is hardly surprising given all the negative publicity of our habit. For once I do not agree with Pat. I usually silently endorse everything she says. But not this time. It is nothing to do with smoking. It is all about buying a house for the lowest possible price. We have all done it.
Peter. I've been having a 'debate' with Rollo about ventilation. He says that no matter how effective the ventilation system is, a non-smoker would get a whiff before it is extracted. I suggested to him that the same applies to cooking and alcohol fumes.
Fair dos, Grumpybutterfly. I am not the fount of all wisdom and knowledge and only speak as I feel or find. I'm very flattered that you usually agree with my ramblings. But THS is a valuable tool to devalue smokers homes and as a concept for devaluation, then estate agents and buyers have a ready made excuse to drive down those house prices of smokers.
Chas - of course Rollo would have to dismiss ventilation. It doesn't back up his smokerphobia when in truth it does work and has been proved to work. We are all less healthy and more exposed to harmful chemicals in the indoor atmosphere these days thanks to lack of ventilation brought about by the anti-smoker paranoia .
The human sense of smell is exceedingly sensitive on first exposure to any kind of smell. It is part of our physical, survival mechanism, especially the smell of fire - escape as fast as possible. But the sensors in one's conk rapidly fill up so that, after a little while, we fail to notice the smell any more. Ever walked into a public loo and been hit by the pong? But do we notice that by the time we have finished whatever, we have forgotten the pong? It is a common phenomenon.
What is THS? Is it an acronym for something that has passed me by? Or has an emphatic THIS lost a letter? I need to know before I respond to your interesting reply. Humour this old chap, he don't follow twitters and tweets and texts as he should. And if it means something, I may kick my stupid self, it may influence my response.
Just come to me. Third Hand Smoke. You do need to be awake on these blogs. Dinner before responding.
Sorry Gb (heheh) - I thought we all used the new acronym passed into everyday speak by ASH et al. Where did I read the other day about how even if we wash our furniture, redecorate, and lay new carpets, there are still "traces of poisonous smoke that lingers for years after a smoker has gone"
I shudder to think how the price would be affected if the previous owner had been an habitual eater of Vindaloo curries...
Pat,
If THS, or anything else for that matter, was officially sanctioned for the devaluation of house prices you would have my full support for a legal challenge. But providing it is just one of the many things that add to life's rich pattern we should just shrug our shoulders. If folks want a particular property I can't see the smoking issue putting them off. Elephants and gnats come to mind. There are bigger battles to fight and you do that for us exceptionally well.
I expect that prospective sellers will just leave overflowing ashtrays around and smoke 20 cigs while prospective buyers are viewing.
After all smokers are meant to be thick aren't they ?
If it is to do with THS, doesn't the seller take all the 'contaminated' contents with them?
Next time you want to buy a new house or rent a new property take a long list and ask the owner about all the sprays, polishs, cooking and anything else that could have contaminated the property.
A friend of ours had to move out of his comfortable and convenient rented apartment when the other apartments were gradually let, over the years, to darkey foreigners because of the smell from their cooking of curries and god knows what else.
He was then forced to rent a house where the smell of smoke was a welcome relief.
I wonder how long it has to be since the smoker moved out before the discount effect wears off. After all given the average age of the housing stock in the UK and the fact that fifty years ago a majority of people smoked there must be relatively few properties that have never housed a smoker.
Heretic
<I>"...given the average age of the housing stock in the UK and the fact that fifty years ago a majority of people smoked there must be relatively few properties that have never housed a smoker. "
That's a very valid point, and one which should be articulated to any smokerphobe wanting a discount!
Sorry - buggered up the HTML - musta been that last beer wot done it!