The smell of your home matters to buyers because odors are closely linked to parts of the brain that process emotion. Unpleasant odors actually send pain signals to the brain, which will effectively kill any interest in your home as far as a buyer is concerned. The smell you’re looking for is a clean and neutral smell, which is like no smell at all. If you need some kind of masking try things that produce happy smells like Citrus, Lemons and Oranges. Making fresh cookies just before a showing has always been a Realtor favorite. There’s nothing like the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I had a seller that did this for every showing, fresh cookies on a plate with a note that said enjoy. One time when showing their home I saw a plate of cookies with a note that said ”special” I proceeded to eat 4 cookies and I left a note thanking the seller. After the showing I received this text from the seller, “Greg, those cookies are Marijuana cookies for my Mom who’s battling cancer, just wanted you to know”. Not being a user of marijuana in any way shape or form this took me to a place I’ve never been before. I spent the next 12 hours trying to do everything I could to eliminate the “high”. I exercised, walked, ran, tried to sleep, drank massive water and even took several very cold showers, nothing worked. I did find food very attractive that day, my wife said I ate 2 bags of Frito’s, 1 large pepperoni pizza, and entire ½ gallon of ice cream and a bag of chocolate chip baking chips. I learned something that day, never eat cookies marked “special”.