Marijuana has been a hot topic around the country, people love to smoke it to relax and for medical benefits. There are still many people who don't like the smell of it and don't want to have to smell it at home. For this reason, the smell of pot and real estate for sale signs don't mix.

While there are still a fair amount of states that haven't legalized marijuana there are people who smoke it in every state. Cops won't do that much about it unless someone is growing it and federal agents have been told to avoid arresting people for smoking it. What is there to do when you need to sell a house or a condo next to someone who smokes pot? While it is best not to lie about a listing you still have options. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Close The Windows

For starters, you should make sure that all of the windows are closed so there are fewer places for the smell of marijuana to enter the house while you are showing it. You should also make sure to spray an odor neutralizer (not an odor masker) to help remove the smell.

Speak With The Neighbors

Most people have common sense and are willing to help you out. If you speak with the neighbors and give them the times that you are showing the house or doing an open house they will most likely be willing to not smoke during those hours. If you are selling a condo that has neighbors that smoke you can go to the condo board to see if there is anything that they can do.

You can also recommend that the current owners speak with their neighbors. If the person lives in an apartment or a condo, check to see if the rules prohibit smoking tobacco. In most cases it is illegal, or at least against policy, to smoke weed where tobacco smoking isn't allowed.

If The Listing Has The Smell Of Marijuana

If your listing has a marijuana smoker in it than the becomes more complicated. In some cases, you just have an ethical duty to inform the potential buyers of the smoking in the house, whether it was the owner or the owners kids that smoked. In other cases, you might even have a legal responsibility to notify the buyer before they sign on the house.

You never want to try and hide something from a buyer, you only want to minimize it. If you intentionally hide something from a buyer then you could be legally responsible. As such it is good to tell a potential buyer even if the neighbors are the ones smoking marijuana.

A good way to approach this is to make a simple statement to them along the lines of "Just so you know, the current owners do smoke marijuana or weed a lot but we have done what we can to mask the scent." When it comes to a neighbor you can try something along the lines of "Just so you know the neighbors smoke marijuana occasionally but if you keep your windows closed you can minimize the smell." Another great thing to mention is that the neighbors are friendly and that they would probably be open to talking with the potential buyer about the smell.

Analyze Your Audience

While the smell of pot and real estate for sale signs don't mix most of the time, there are exceptions. You need to analyze the audience you are trying to sell the property to. There might be a chance that the people you show the house to are smokers themselves. Certain neighborhoods also have the essence that smoking is okay in them so people expect the smell. Use your experience and local knowledge to best gauge this.

No matter what kind of audience you are going to be leaning towards you should make sure to have the house aired out and most of the smell, if not all of it, gone before your first showing. This helps to get the most out of your listing and makes sure that your real estate signs only stay up for a short period of time. It might also help to do further research on the legal status of marijuana where you live and what can be done about it. Every state and every city has slightly different rules about weed.