Viewed a house is this a huge red flag.

[PinkGlitterUnicorns]

In our preferred location there are currently only 2 houses on the market that meet our criteria and fit in our budget.

One is a new build nice house but semi detached smallish rooms and small garden.

Other is a detached house nice house bigger than new build with a decent size garden and good room sizes with a tiny bit of cosmetic decorating needed. Price is the same as new build. We both had our hearts set on this house before even viewing the house.

I went to view the house yesterday without DH as he was working. The house was lovely, perfect for us BUT the house smelt. I can’t put my finger on what it smelt of but it had quite a strong smell.

DH said when he returned that I also smelt, I didn’t notice this but noticed this morning my coat now smells of the viewed house. Actually not smells more like absolutely stinks.

What is the smell? And why does my clothes smell of the house? Is this a huge red flag? It’s so frustrating as I can’t put my finger on what it is.

My mother's flat smelt of damp musty 'oldness' due to her years of hoarding, never opening windows and not turning the heating on. When she died I threw out everything fabric. Anything I brought out stank, even made my car smell from transporting it to the tip. I had the same smell on me when I got home.
Six months on, windows flung open, heating on low level all the time, it now smells fresh as a daisy.
I agree with earlier comments about trying to find out more about previous owners and lifestyle. Has someone elderly, perhaps with dementia, been there. If you rule out serious damp then it'll probably go.

The house is furnished and lived in yes.

Definitely not weed or cat piss.

I think the new build is probably slightly over priced but it’s normal to pay more for shiney new isn’t it? They seem to be selling quite fast. But in terms of side by side comparison the detached house does seem better value.

Going to book a second viewing as DH needs to see it. Is it worth mentioning the smell to the agent?

The agent will flannel, he's in it for as much money as he can get, you need a surveyor to determine what the smell is.

If it's damp or condensation, look for black stains in the top and bottom corners of rooms and under windows, above skirtings.

Also new properties don't always come built to a brilliant standard, don't be fooled that because it's new it has no faults, there's always a snagging list to be sorted out and some snags are easier to rectify than others.

Damp and woodworm and dry rot (despite the name) go hand in hand. If you have a second viewing look at the roof from outside for signs of any problems. Walk around all the rooms - is the floor even, does it bounce anywhere, what condition are the skirtings, any gaps, etc? Any signs that anything has been repainted recently? Check that all the windows open. Turn all the taps on. Does water flow through the plugholes normally? Open built in cupboards in the bathroom, on landings, etc. Walk round the outside and check the pointing and around windows and doors for signs of damp. Take photos. Does the house have cellars or a crawl space and can you take a look?

This might sound excessive and intrusive but a lot of problems with houses can be fairly easily spotted. A second viewing suggests you are a serious buyer so don't be put off being thorough.

Sounds damp

Don't dismiss this house because of the smell before you have investigated what the cause is. If it is damp there are solutions and you could ask the vendor for a price reduction to account for the work needed.

I've been seduced before by the lovely, shiny show homes of the new builds but lived to regret it due mainly to the small room sizes. You will never be able to wave a magic wand and make those rooms bigger in the new build but you can get rid of damp in the older house.

Absolutely needs investigation as others have said. But also as others have said, we had several dead mice and rats on our garage recently ,(must have eaten something they shouldn't have) and it smelt like wet carpet. Clean out and it smells ok again :)

Wowfudge, the floor being uneven in a property doesn't necessarily indicate a problem, we live in an old property and our floors are uneven in some rooms where the old house meets the new and the finishes are different. Also repainting before selling isn't always a red flag, many people spruce up property before marketing.

Chances are if you find more than one issue with the floors then there's a problem. If the OP likes the house enough to make an offer then it would be prudent to make a list of everything and get a builder and/or surveyor to check out as much of it as possible.

A re-painted wall could just be to neutralise the decor and give it broader appeal. Or there could be some damp being disguised.

Look out for. Them burning smelly candles to try to disguise the smell of damp or drains or whatever it is

See if you can view with homeowners there and say in loudish voice "crumbs DH what do you think that smell is?"

Have they recently painted any rooms to freshen the house up before selling? We painted my sons room in November and within a few weeks the smell from the paint was terrible, like musty cat wee. Apparently it is a problem with some brands of paint. It has taken 6 months for the smell to go away!

What about to bring a skilled builder to the house to inspect? It seems like a damp to me. If you smelt after one viewing... Was the house clean?

You need a full survey.

I've viewed a lovely house near me twice. Both times I've retched, with watering eyes, despite a scarf clamped to my nose, and had to leave, gasping for fresh air!

The first time it was due to the previous owner leaving their car and dog locked inside, pooing and peeing over the carpet, for 3 months.

A year later it came up for sale again and I viewed it again. This time the dank stench of damp had me leaving in a rush.

I think I'd get a survey. If it's a fixable problem, you might get a bargain as the smell will probably put other viewers off at the moment.

Good luck!

Our house smelt foul when we moved in, but we didn’t notice during the viewings. It turned out we had a really bad rat problem...

Hate to mention the dreaded dry rot, but often the first sign of its presence is a distinctive musty smell. A surveyor should recognise this instantly

If I otherwise loved the house, and would pay near the asking price, then I’d get every specialist survey I could. I wouldn’t miss out on a lovely house because of a problem that could be fixed.

Could it be damp underlay, hidden by carpets and furniture? My house stank when I moved in but after replacing carpets with either new or laminate, ripping off all the wallpaper, removing curtains and keeping windows open as much as possible for the first 2 weeks the smell is definitely gone.

There was some damp but careful cleaning and special lining paper - as well as actually opening the windows - has sorted it. We also unblocked the fireplace, swept it out and replaced the cover on the roof. Luckily no dead birds!

My house smelt damp when we bought it. It was partly because the previous owner was paranoid about security and never opened windows or doors. Old houses need airing.

A further problem was that two chimneys had been closed up with insufficient ventilation, so the chimney breast walls on all floors were perpetually damp. We opened up the fireplaces and put wood burners in, and all trace of dampness and fustiness has now gone.

• oh and I meant to say, unlike MrsPuss, we found 21 bird skeletons in one of the chimneys!

If you want to buy it you need to get a full structural survey, not cheap but worth it to flag up any problems. Ours picked up on chimney repairs and damp that we hadn’t noticed. The survey the mortgage companies do is basic to make sure its a correct value and won’t pick up on details.

Thanks for the sound advice I will look out for points mentioned.

We have a viewing booked for tomorrow but prior to the viewing we are going to look at the new build show home.

The detached house isn’t particularly old it’s about 20 years old. Also point to note is I don’t think the smell is trapped in carpet as the house has flooring throughout apart from stairs and landing.

We aren’t new to the new build as are current House was brand new but ours was a affordable starter home so the most basic house you can imagine so we need to weigh up all the pros and cons as it will be starting from scratch all over again if we go that route. Something we wanted to avoid as the cost for curtain poles, lights bathroom fittings and wardrobes all really mount up.

Dry rot has a musty almost fungal mushroomy smell, look out tell take signs - a dark orange brown dust.

Our house smelt of damp when we viewed it. and of horrible air freshner to cover the smell.

Our surveyor said it was condensation damp. There were mould pathces on all the cold corners, and round windows and the carpet in th elivign roomwa sdamp and mouldy.

We installed extractor fans (bathroom, ensuite, downstairs loo, utility room for wet washing and kitchen)
We put ventilation strips in all the windows.
We got the cold north facing wall internally insulated and re plastered down stairs and upstairs
We are rigorous about not drying washing etc.
We replaced the lounge carpet and used bottles of mould remover.

We do still get some mould, this winter has been wet, so I have had to clean mould off the bathroom, and our bedroom window. But the house no longer smells, and is no longer damp, and no longer has a condensation problem.

@steppemum -- our house has condensation mould. What are window ventilation strips? Was it expensive to fit those and the extractor fans?

Thanks!

My dh did them all.

ventilation strips go in the top of double glazed windows, they are also called trickle vents I think. great for allowing an exchange of air if the house is very sealed.

extractor fans are essential if you have condensation damp, in every place where there is steam/water, so kitchen, bathroom, and for us utility room. We also put a drying rack up near the ceiling in the utility room, and we turn the radiator up in there when drying wahsing, that means the damp stays in there, or is taken out by extractor fan. Works well. Drying washing, showers, and cooking are the 3 big water makers for damp.

If you are handy at DIY not hard to do either. (I am not, so I say that glibly in the fullknowledge that dh did it all!) Hardest thing was making a hole for the kitchen one.