Every day, buyers walk into an open house without really looking for problems.

Of course, it’s nice to be polite when an agent is showing you through a property, but when you get distracted by the leather lounge suite and the smell of fresh cookies in the oven, you might be missing some tell-tale signs that something is not quite right.

So how do you spot a cover up? How do you know if the vendor is hiding a few skeletons in the closet?

1) Too-fresh Paint

Use your nose. If you smell fresh paint -and not just recent but ‘done today’ fresh paint, there’s probably something amiss.

When people try to cover up water damage to walls and timber skirting boards, the stains have a way of coming back again and again. Often, the paint will need to be done weekly in an effort to avoid replacing the damaged area.

Look up at the ceiling as well – if that was freshly painted this morning you could be looking at a big problem.

2) Rugs in strange places

It’s common to have rugs in the living area and along the hallway, but if this house has rugs all over the place for no apparent reason, there might be something lurking beneath.

3) Wall decorations out of place

We all have some pictures on the wall, but usually we put them in a sensible position, with a bit of consideration for symmetry.

If you see one section of wall with four paintings all touching each other, there could be a little surprise waiting for an unsuspecting buyer.

4) Dishwasher completely dry

This one might sound silly, but try opening the dishwasher. Its good manners to have either no dishes, or clean ones in there on open day – but there should be some sign of use.

If there isn’t a drop of water to be seen, it might not be working. Ask the agent to turn it on for you and see what happens.

5) One too many air freshening methods

We all love a bit of sandlewood and lemongrass – but if the owners have used five different air freshening methods in the one room, they might be trying to cover up a damp smell or something worse. Use your nose as well as your other senses when you inspect to buy.