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[blondegirl]

Sellers are always to some degree at the mercy of buyers - if you don't have a buyer you won't sell your house. Everyone thinks their house is lovely and worth what they list it for - some times it is and some times it is not well-priced or neutral enough. I think if you want to attract the most people then you make your house attractive. Loading it up with chemicals (look up what is in most of the air fresheners and candles) won't make it attractive to everyone and may turn off a large percentage of the market. Fabrics absorb odors so not lighting a candle the nite before is likely of no help. Your Aunt sounds like she either does not want to sell her condo or is not very empathic. I kinda feel sorry for her Realtor based upon the posts I have read...maybe she is more delightful and less rigid in person than she appears from these posts. 

[Snoopp]

Lots of people are sensitive to scents but in your Aunt's case the potential buyer seems to be a bit inconsiderate.  I think scents like freshly baked bread or cookies, something along those lines are probably not met with complaints.

[novamc1]

@Snoopp

In your opinion, was the buyer inconsiderate because she could not tolerate the scents in the home and consequently did not purchase it.......

or was the seller just not serious about selling and did not wish to go out of her way to satisfy the purchaser? 

The seller reportedly  has since  pulled the property off the market.  In  my experience, this indicates she had no urgent or serious reason to sell it in the first place and thus did not wish to accommodate any purchaser's special requests, no matter how small those requests might be.

I'm really interested in your opinion.  I've dealt with all types of clients, including some like  this particular buyer and seller, and it's interesting to see how things unfold.  Everyone comes to a situation with a background, a bias, a set of needs, and a ready-made set of excuses for whatever happens. 

Isn't it always some other person's fault when an agreement can't be reached, or in this case, a  real estate sales contract doesn't get written and signed?  On this thread alone, comments have variously  blamed the seller, the buyer and the real estate agents involved. 

I am still wondering HOW in the world any real estate agent could be blamed for what happened, at least based on the facts as reported by the OP.

[sfnative]

@CANDLEQUEEN

I know you posted this in December, but just wanted to say that if someone knows their allergy limitations, they should not be imposed on you, rather she should be prepared.  I would have insisted that the lady bring her own respirator: it's one of those complex masks with a round filter sticking out on each side.

[blondegirl]

keep in mind this woman was purportedly trying to sell her house. The goal to staging well is to make your house fairly neutral and appealing to everyone. So, this particular buyer may not have been the only one who did not like the candles and odors, which would be difficult to get out of fabrics. Or she may have been a serious buyer who would have  made a full-price offer for all anyone knows if the seller had been  even the tiniest bit understanding or educated about what is in those candles, etc. 

[scotnovel]

I disagree with a lot of the comments.  These potential buyers are not being too picky.  If she wants to sell the condo she has to make it appeal to as many buyers as possible and that includes getting rid of scented materials. I am one of those people who are highly allergic to scents (especially if there are multiple different scents in one environment)  and, yes, even just a few minutes walk through, can be a problem.  

She needs to stop thinking of the condo as her home and start thinking that the sooner she sells it the sooner she can spend more time with her family.  Too many people make the mistake of thinking that everyone is going to just love their decor etc.  Stage the home and sell it sooner.