What's that smell?!?

[Daniel Claroni]

How easy is it to get rid of a bad stink in a house? What if it isn't as easy as replacing the carpets?

A house I am thinking about buying has a bad stink that smells like cat urine. The previous owner disclosed that dogs and cats were living with her, but the carpet is only a year old and looks and feels new.

I have heard it is very easy to get rid of a smell, but others say it can be very difficult. What exactly will I be looking at if it's not just replacing the carpet and airing out the house?

What will the costs look like for this? Depending on the cost, this may make or break the deal.

Thanks everyone!

[Marc Winter]

One of our best deals was a house that made you gag and your eyes water when you got within 5 feet of the front door.  Female cat pee (yes, there is a difference) was absolutely overpowering.

We removed all carpet, and used an organic/enzyme product like @Richard Fields suggested, then after it dried, we used 2 coats of oil based Kilz primer/sealer on the subfloor.  That did the trick.  NOTE:  that subfloor was over an unfinished basement--we also used Kilz on the underside of the subfloor.  

After that, I always thought that cat pee smelled like money!