Estate agent claims a house smelling clean like bleach could be a huge red flag

One estate agent shared how a property smelling of chlorine could potentially be a red flag as it may be hiding something major – her discovery was seriously shocking

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Estate agent reveals how homeowner attempted cover-up with bleach

If you’ve ever viewed a house you’ve fallen in love with online, you’ll know that often, the reality is a lot bleaker than the pictures – as some things simply can’t be spotted in photographs. While standout features, the local area and overall feel of a property are important factors to consider, the smell of a property is also key – and it can reveal a lot more than you think.

An American estate agent, who posted from the handle @capecchiandco on TikTok, has revealed what happened when one of her clients bought a house that had an overwhelming smell of bleach and chlorine at the initial viewing.

The smell was an initial red flag to the realtor, but after the couple put in an offer on the home, a house inspection ruled there was nothing wrong with the property.

The estate agent said: “I was showing buyers this house that they wanted to see, and we knew that the seller was gonna be present because she was not gonna leave the house.

“That’s typically not the norm, but frankly it’s her house and she can decide what she wants. So we arrive and she’s like ‘come in.’ We open up the door and it’s really dark inside, and the smoke smell just hits you, but on top of that there was a strong chlorine scent.”

In the viewing, the group went into the garage where many of the home owner’s pets were sat in the car – and the estate agent said there were a lot of them as they were making an awful lot of noise.

She continued: “So we get the house under contract and during the inspection period there are quite a few things that are uncovered. We had a hell of a time trying to negotiate with her (the owner) she was really really difficult to work with,” she said, adding that during the buyer’s final walk-through, they could still smell really strong chlorine.

“You’re kinda [sic] like what is she trying to cover up here, but also you don’t know what you don’t know. Anyway, it closes and my clients are thrilled. They go there on day one, ready to do all the remodelling,” she said. “They start pulling up some of the floors, you might want to hang on to your stomach for this one.”

The estate agent then explained something stomach-churning – upon pulling up the floors, they discovered that all of the subfloors were so soaked in animal urine that they were almost sick.

She warned: “They call me right away and they’re like ‘well, we finally realised why the strong bleach smell.’ She was covering up pet urine odour.”

So, just because something smells clean doesn’t necessarily mean that it is.

Have you had a similar experience? Let us know in the comments.