Everybody knows that smells don't show up in photos - but that reality settles in quickly when you walk into a house for sale and realize that it really... smells!

Different buyers would put these in a different order, but some of the most offensive house smells seem to be...

1. Smoke

2. Pets

3. Moisture

Many or most houses that haven't sold after 90 days are not still on the market for sale because of an odor...

...but many or most houses with a strong odor won't sell within 90 days.

Depending on the severity of the smell, and the type of smell, buyers might need to plan to take a variety of actions to try to eliminate the smell...

1.  Refinishing hardwood floors.

2.  Removing hardwood floors and painting the subfloor with odor sealing paint.

3.  Removing carpet and painting the subfloor with odor sealing paint.

4.  Painting the walls and ceiling.

5.  Cleaning the ductwork.

If you are selling a home with an odor, you ought to either remediate the odor, or price the home lower than you would if it did not have an odor.