Pulled from a longer article on Realtor.com:

Scent has long been a secret weapon in retail, with a booming $3.6 billion scent marketing industry built around one simple truth: Smell is a powerful trigger for memory and emotion.

The idea gained traction in the early 1990s, when neurologist Alan Hirsch found that the presence of a floral scent boosted Nike customers’ intent to purchase by up to 84%. Today, brands from Cinnabon to Samsung use custom fragrances to spark emotional responses and build deeper associations with their products.

Unlike sight or sound, which are routed through the thalamus, scent connects directly to the amygdala (which processes emotion) and the hippocampus (which stores memory). That connection explains why a familiar smell can instantly bring back a long-forgotten moment, and why scent-triggered memories are often more emotional and vivid than those sparked by other senses.

Scent marketing leverages those connections.

A signature smell “will just create that kind of bonding in your head ... so that when you think of that brand, you think of that smell, or when you think of the smell, it elicits very positive emotions,” Tianyi Zhang, a doctoral candidate in experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, explained to Atlas Obscura last year.

It’s something that real estate agents have long known and tapped into.

“We have a proprietary scent, which we created with a local candle maker in Miami,” says Christopher Wands with Douglas Elliman. “Sensory tools like smell are huge influences on buyers, although they may not realize it.”

In other words, a plum torte might not just make a house smell like home—it might also make buyers feel like it’s already theirs.

Does it work?

I’m no stranger to the power of smell. I worked as a florist and then front of house in an artisanal bakery for years—two gigs that gave me all the firsthand experience I needed to understand the allure of certain aromas. 

Both jobs offered a revolving door of customers with the same greeting, “It smells so good in here.” Sometimes, after shifts, I’d meet friends, and after pulling away from a hug, they’d say, “Oh my, you smell so good.”

All to say, I know a good scent when I smell it. And while I’m not currently selling a home, I had to sniff out what the Original Plum Torte had to offer.

I followed the recipe and put the torte in the oven. Within 30 minutes, the delicious aroma of butter, caramelizing sugar, cinnamon, and sweet plums started filling my kitchen. The combination seemed vaguely seasonal, perhaps holiday-esque, but broad enough that I didn’t have a specific association with it.

By the time the torte finished baking, the smells had reached my apartment building’s hallway, making for a very warm welcome when I returned from taking out the trash.

It was easy to see how the scent could set an open house apart and help buyers picture themselves making the space their own. The agents I spoke with noted that the smell of fresh baking alone wouldn't secure an offer, but engaging all five senses is always a smart strategy.

“Selling a home is never just about the structure and a price tag,” says Jessica Vance, owner of Jessica Vance Real Estate and Mortgages. “It’s an emotional experience. When buyers walk in and everything looks beautiful, feels welcoming, and smells amazing, that’s when they fall in love with a property. And when people feel passionate, they pay top dollar.”