Three unexpected red flags to watch out for when buying a home

Certain red flags are easy to spot, but others are harder to see. If you’re on the hunt for a new home, watch out for these three signs that a house isn’t as good as it seems.

1. Random walls are freshly painted: it’s become standard for real estate brokers to suggest their clients repaint parts of the house before listing it. However, you should be wary if only one one wall or patch of ceiling is freshly painted. This could be an indication that the seller is covering up a problem like mould, pests or some other major issue.

2. It smells a little too good: it’s common for sellers to bake cookies or have fresh flowers in the home to make it smell nice, but be careful of places that have air fresheners in every room. It’s possible the owners are trying to mask an odor that’s difficult to remove, like cigarette smoke or pet messes.

3. Open floor plans: this popular layout is not usually a problem, but check to see if the house was originally designed this way. If the current owners changed the floor plan in a recent renovation, it’s important to make sure any walls taken down weren’t load bearing, and that the building itself is still structurally sound.