Condo developers selling a project’s final units have sweetened deals with incentives ranging from a stay in the Hamptons to a yearlong membership at a gym or a garage pre-stocked with luxury cars.
Now, Regalia, a 43-story luxury condominium in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, hopes to entice a buyer to one of two remaining units with an amenity that can’t be seen or heard. Fragrance company 12.29, which has made scents for Valentino, Nike and Mercedes-Benz, will work with the buyer of Regalia’s $29 million "Beach House" unit to craft a unique scent for the home.
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"It’s an opportunity for this very special buyer to live beyond their visual senses and tell their story through a scent that evokes their very being," said a spokeswoman for Regalia Beach Developers.
The process will be far more involved for the buyer than ordering Chanel No. 5 be pumped through the HVAC.
Dawn Goldworm, a co-founder of 12.29 and the so-called "nose" of the company, said she expects to spend around four months with the buyer of the duplex unit exploring their personality and tastes.
"Creating a scent identity for an individual is very similar to creating a scent identity for a brand," said Ms. Goldworm, whose more unusual projects included scenting a book for New York Times Bestselling author Simon Sinek and beach umbrellas for a Jamaican resort.
"I do a full dive into who they are and how they’ve branded themselves because today we’re all little brands," she added.
Her questions focus on her clients’ upbringing, where they grew up and when, what it smelled like and where they have lived since. She gets personal because emotions associated with home, like a sense of comfort and safety, are usually built very early in life, she said.
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"As you’re learning smell you’re leaming emotions at the same time. It’s really emotion and smell that has this amazing bond," Ms. Goldworn said. "And if you tell me that your house was a very festive environment that is going to mean something very different to me if you were born in New York in 1990 than if you were born in Beijing in 1930."
She also will request the Beach House buyer meet with a decorator and decide their design plan for the 10,515-square-foot duplex before 12.29 starts working on a signature scent.
"I start with what are the colors, what are the textures, what is the overall aesthetic, what are the sounds and most importantly: How do you want to feel when you’re home," she explained.
The two-story beach house, on the third and fourth floors, is one of two remaining units at Regalia—the other is the penthouse, said Chad Carroll, an agent with Douglas Elliman representing the unit.
"The beach house buyer is looking for a single-family home, but the amenities of a condo," Mr. Carroll said.
The six-bedroom home has double-height ceilings, a private pool and its own 10-person steam room. The home is decorated in stone finishes, including coral rock throughout, he said.
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This isn’t the only unit to get a swanky sweetener thrown into the price of the unit. Regalia stocked the wine cellars with a curated collection at each of the building’s 37 full-floor units, Mr. Carroll said.
The penthouse, while it doesn’t come with a custom scent, comes with a $500,000 pink diamond.
"We always offer a special gift catered to that buyer," Mr. Carroll said. "For the Beach House, we wanted to create a scent that is irreplaceable."