Would this be a deal breaker for you?
We visited a house today that we'd been interested in for a while. There was a lingering smell of smoke upstairs where the bedrooms were carpeted. The rest of the house (hardwood and tile) did not smell like smoke. I'm not opposed to replacing the carpet if we bought the house, but I would hate to buy it, replace the carpet, and still have the smoke smell. Has anyone ever dealt with this? Or would it be a deal breaker straightaway for you?
nectarine / 2784 posts
Deal breaker 
I wouldn't be able to be sure that replacing the carpet would get rid of it for good.
pear / 1503 posts
You'd probably also have to repaint every single room, as well as removing the carpet.
honeydew / 7230 posts
@Astro Bee: @Anya: Yeah, I think it is a deal breaker for me too. DH isn't sure.
nectarine / 2521 posts
Deal breaker. I am very sensitive to cigarette smoke and was told it gets into the insulation of the home too.
pear / 1503 posts
Maybe ask him if he understands the magnitude of the work involved to ensure that all of the smell is gone. Also, when I mentioned that all rooms would have to be repainted, I also meant ceilings (perhaps even more critical than the walls). It's a significant level of effort or cost, if you don't plan in doing it yourself.
Unless he doesn't mind the smell of smoke? Perhaps also mention that it's known to be a potential factor in SIDS.
eggplant / 11824 posts
It would be a dealbreaker for me, unless it was super low priced and amazing in every single other way. Smoke permeates so much, and gets EVERYWHERE. Even if people claim they only smoke outside, or in one room, it will get into closets, just everywhere. I know when my great-aunt died (smoker) and we had to ready her house for sale, just getting the house ready for market meant tearing out all the carpeting, several coats of new paint, and putting down all new flooring. Considerable $$ if you have to do it yourself after you buy.
pineapple / 12793 posts
My uncle bought a house that reeked of smoke. They repainted, cleaned the ducts, pulled carpet, etc. They easily saved $75k on the market price because the house stunk. It got them into a better neighborhood than they could otherwise afford.
pomegranate / 3521 posts
It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if you could afford to make the changes that @oliviaoblivia: mentioned.
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
I'm not a homeowner but I do watch a lot of HGTV. 
and I think they can seal the walls and get rid that smoke smell. I would probably talk to a professional before I make an offer, though. I would stil consider the house.
grapefruit / 4089 posts
The only way it would not be a dealbreaker for me is if we were getting a fantastic deal on it, and we didn't have to move in right away because I would want all of the work done before we moved our stuff in.
grapefruit / 4997 posts
I got really sick and developed the worst allergies I have ever known after living in an older, renovated home. The previous owners were filthy and it wreaked of cigarette smell. It was renovated from top to bottom: roof, new floors, new paint and looked great after the Reno. The cigarette smell faded but I think it still had enough germs left behind to get us sick. I eventually got better though. So yes, it would be a deal breaker if it's a terrible smoke smell.
Edit to add: I was present to supervise and help with the renovations so that's how I became sick, I think. If you have are not present during the Reno project, I would think you'll be okay.
pineapple / 12526 posts
Eh. Id be willing to put paint and flooring into it if I really loved the house. Only if I really loved it, though.
watermelon / 14467 posts
If it's THE house, maybe. Otherwise, no. I'm sensitive to cigarette smoke, so if it was my forever house or the neighborhood I wanted, I would consider it. I'd ask for the home to be professionally deep cleaned.
honeydew / 7230 posts
@Astro Bee: I read him this thread and I think it sufficiently freaked him out.
To everyone else - thanks for the input! We like the house but I don't think it's our dream house and wouldn't be worth the time, energy, money to make sure the smoke smell was gone. I might feel differently if we didn't have kids, but I'd hate to expose them to it.
persimmon / 1188 posts
We're home shopping too and looked at one house that smelled pretty badly of smoke. It was a total deal breaker for me, I couldn't even really focus on the positive points of the house, too distracting. I just wouldn't take the chance that we could fix it.
coconut / 8430 posts
I would if I had the time and money to rip out the carpets, repaint with some smell sealant and generally get rid of everything that might be smelly. I would take that cost into account when making an offer.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
We wouldn't buy one unless we were taking it down to studs.
pomelo / 5607 posts
Deal breaker for sure. DH grew up in a home with multiple smokers and the smell makes him sick. He's also had nicotine poisoning before (note- if you work in a field cutting tobacco, don't take a hot shower afterwards), so that probably contributes to it. But we couldn't ever risk not being able to get the smell out.
pear / 1750 posts
I didn't realize the former owner smoked when I bought my house. The house had a musty smell, but I chalked it up to old carpet. I found out about the smoking from my neighbor, then noticed some areas of yellowing (window shades).
We were pulling up the carpeting anyway and it hasn't been an issue since that was removed, I hate smoke, so it would definitely bother me if it lingered.
Now my grandma's house, that would have been a different story. That would have taken a lot of work.
pomelo / 5093 posts
Only if it was cheap enough to offset the cost of fixing the issue, and I felt like putting in the effort. It would have to be a pretty great house.
pomegranate / 3329 posts
The home my parents just bought was smoked in, they didn't realize until after they moved in. You can call a restoration company that will bring in some equipment to remove the residue, seal the walls, and you can repaint, it's spendy. They're replacing all the carpet, then they'll see if they can still smell it.
bananas / 9118 posts
My parents did, and my mom is super sensitive to smoke- they luckily didn't have to move in until the work was done and it wasn't bad afterwards. They got the house for way cheaper than it should have been, which took care of the costs to fix it up.
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
My parents used to smoke in their house and it's been maybe 10 years since they do? But since *they* smoke, the house still smells, IMO. I don't think you can ever really get the stench out.
coconut / 8472 posts
Total deal breaker for me. I'm really sensitive to it and I have asthma, and DS seems like he's going to get my asthma (already on 2 inhalers regularly). Plus I feel like all the chemicals and nasty stuff from cigarettes are really hard to get rid of and that they'd still be dangerous even if you couldn't smell it any more.
cantaloupe / 6164 posts
You can absolutely remove the smell. I wouldn't trust an opinion unless someone has actually tried it. Our home was built in the 80's and the previous owners had smoked in it since they moved in. The house was considerably more affordable due to the smell, so it was worth it to us. We cleaned and painted, which we would've done regardless of the smell, and replaced the carpet upstairs (wood & tile downstairs). The smell is completely gone. We have lived here a year and a half with no issues. I'd do it again.
pea / 11 posts
My mom bought a condo previously owned by smokers. The smoke was absolutely awful. The professional smoke removal co would have cost 20K. We did a ton I'd research. Basically we found a contractor who removed all carpets and washed the walls really well - really well - before reprinting. There is no smoke smell left , and I am very sensitive to any smoke smell.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
I don't think it is a deal breaker if you can renovate before you move in.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
My sister just bought a house from very heavy smokers, however they pretty much gutted the entire thing and the walls they didn't they spent the money on the highest quality of paint, and they ripped up all the flooring. Not going to lie, even after all that work in some rooms I can still smell it even though she says it is gone/doesn't notice it. I wouldn't do it for this reason.
persimmon / 1177 posts
The previous owners of our house smoked, and the whole house reeked like smoke and there were nicotine stains on the walls/ceilings.
We painted all the walls and ceilings, (used Killz primer so the nicotine stains and smell wouldn't seep through), pulled up carpet, and scrubbed everything. The kitchen cabinets still smelled like smoke until we painted them too.
It was a TON of work, but we got a great deal on the house and had time to do everything (except the kitchen) before we moved in. Now you would never know that smokers used to live in the house, and when we sell the house we'll make a great profit.
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