How to Know if a Home Seller is Hiding Something

When a home is put on the market and you end up at a showing or open house, you may only see what the seller wants you to see. It’s up to you, and your agent, to spot what they are trying to hide. While some things are illegal if they are not disclosed, other things don’t have to be disclosed.

As you search for the perfect home in New Orleans, make sure you know what to look for; beyond what the seller wants you to see. In addition, make sure you hire a skilled real estate agent with local knowledge. Here are a few things you want to pay attention to during a showing or open house.

No Sofa, but a Loveseat

Staging is used often to make homes look a certain way and to appeal to buyers. When no sofa is present, but there’s a love seat, it could be due to the small size of the room. The love seat makes it look larger, but you may not be able to fit a couch in the room comfortably.

You can ask for measurements and you can even measure the home yourself, if you prefer. Since staging is a normal part of home marketing now, you need to be aware of it. Don’t let staging mislead you into thinking a room is larger than it is.

You Hear Mood Music

A staged home will show a story, not just a home for sale. It may be showing you the lifestyle you could have if you buy the home and there’s nothing wrong with this. However, you need to be aware of what you’re really getting.

Background music could be helping to mask noise from traffic, the airport or from a train that goes buy. It could even be masking the neighbor’s annoying dog.

While this may not be a deal-breaker for you, it’s best to know what you’re getting into. If you need to make changes to the home to mask the sounds, you should know this before you buy the house.

All the Lights are on in the Afternoon

Do you turn all your lights on during the day? You probably don’t, if your home gets plenty of natural light. Homes with lots of natural light don’t need artificial light as much during the day.

If you attend an open house or a showing and every light is on, be aware of this. It may not be a big deal, but it could mislead you into thinking the home is light and bright when it’s really not. You can ask to have the lights turned off if you want to get a better sense of how the natural light filters throughout the home.

Plenty of Air Fresheners

A home showing with more than enough air fresheners for the entire neighborhood should be a dead giveaway. There’s a smell they are trying to mask and hoping you won’t notice. This could be cigarettes, cigar smoke, pet odor or even worse, a septic issue causing a smell.

Pet odor and odor from smoking will go away, eventually and with a bit of professional help. However, a septic issue could be a huge problem and could be very expensive to fix. Try to figure out what the seller is trying to mask so that you know what you’re getting into before you make an offer.

Fresh Paint

It’s very common for sellers to paint the interior of the home before putting it up for sale. This is common practice and there’s nothing wrong with it. However, it could be used to mask something, such as water marks, mildew or even water damage.

Make sure you ask about any of these issues and look at the floorboards, corners and ceiling near the water sources. If you look closely, you may be able to spot the water damage even with fresh paint on the walls.

A Few Quick Tips for Home Buyers

Along with being aware of these specific things sellers may do to hide things from you, it’s important to use the following tips when attending an open house or showing:

•          Ask plenty of questions and gauge the response
•          Check out the neighborhood at different times of day
•          Ask neighbors, if possible, about the area and home
•          Do your due diligence
•          Hire a good, local agent

If you follow these tips and you’re aware that the seller could be hiding things, you will be better prepared. The last thing you want to do is move in only to discover there’s an issue or even an annoyance you didn’t want to deal with. While not everything they could be hiding is a deal-breaker, it could become a negotiating tool.