Using Your 6 Senses to Buy a Home

Spot Red Flags and Buy with Confidence

Our five primary senses are the most powerful everyday tools we have, yet we rarely give them much thought unless one of them starts to fade.

It is interesting to note that while hearing loss is the most common sensory change in the United States, in Australia it is actually our sight. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, vision disorders affect the vast majority of older Aussies over sixty-five, followed closely by hearing loss.

When you are looking to buy a home on your own, especially if it is your first time navigating the property market solo, thinking about the future makes good practical sense. It is smart to look for a single-level layout so you do not have to worry about stairs down the track, low-maintenance brickwork instead of weatherboard that needs constant painting, or a nice manageable garden.

These future-focused ideas form part of what I call the Clarity Code in my Home Buying Coaching program. Alongside our usual Want, Need, and Must-Have checklists, I teach independent buyers how to use their six senses as a practical on-site property tool.

Yes, 6, women have powerful intuition for danger, for when something is just not right, and we should use this 6th sense, listen to it, when we buy a home.

When you walk through an open inspection, your eyes, ears, hands, nose, taste, and good old gut instinct are your best defense against making a costly mistake. Here is how you can use all of them on the ground.

Sight: Looking Past the Cosmetic Gloss

We all get drawn in by pretty photos online. In real estate, that first image is known as the Hero or Dollar-Dollar shot because agents place massive emphasis on getting it just right to tempt you through the front door.

Agents will almost always advise sellers to give the place a fresh coat of paint and lay down new carpets. From the street, the front gate, driveway, and letterbox might all look spotless. But as a solo buyer who wants to protect her money, you need to look a little closer:

• Look past the fresh paint: Check if the oven is filthy or if the gutters are rusted and clogged. All that new paint can be money down the gurgler if the previous owner neglected basic home maintenance.
• The new carpet trick: New carpet is great at hiding floor flaws. It will not show damp, sub-floor mold, or even structural holes in the timber. An old hole in the floorboards can easily be covered up with underlay, new carpet, and a dining table placed right over the top. Sometimes the carpet is new and the underlay is old. The old smells are disguised, possibly temporarily.
• Do a bit of online detective work: Google the address before you head over. Look up old sales photos to see what changes were made over the years and ask yourself if they would have needed council permits. It is also worth checking satellite maps for nearby vacant blocks, industrial zones, or big power corridors.

A case in point: A builder reviewed a home, all looked well. When called in for negotiation advice and hearing the story to this point, it was recommended that they get inspections done by registered inspectors. The spa had been leaking for some time, the floorboards had rotted around it, the ground was wet. Not unexpected in a rainy area but there all the same. It was not obvious on a quick walkthrough, but getting that checked saved a huge financial headache.

Hearing: Sound, Communication, and Agent Language

Sound has a sneaky way of triggering instant memories and nostalgia. Hearing Dire Straits playing on the radio takes me straight back to a café on Swanston Street with those old tabletop jukeboxes, recalling fun times, and teenage freedom. The sound of a football siren, or the Collingwood theme song inspires loyalty, despair, and wonderful memories.

When you are inspecting a property, though, your ears are there to gather intel:

• Acoustic red flags: Major roads, trains, or a live music venue nearby? Keep an ear out for constant traffic hum, newer trains are quieter but is the line a freight option to regional Victoria or interstate? How close is the rail line? Is there a level crossing with bells that ding, a tram that hits certain parts of the road with a clang, will there be a truck collecting empty bottles from the venue, also listen for planes overhead if you are on a busy flight path.
• Listening as a negotiation tool: People often forget that simply chatting with the agent and listening carefully is a huge advantage. Asking simple questions and hearing how they respond can give away the seller’s true motivation. Knowledge really is power in real estate. A cautionary note: the words that you speak also gives information to the agent. What you both hear, and remember, may be misconstrued, words have power, use them wisely during an open, and in any follow up with the agent.
• Decoding agent talk: Most agencies run thorough training programs filled with role-playing so agents know exactly what to say to make a property sound amazing. When an agent uses phrases like “cosy and character-filled” or “low maintenance,” hear what they actually mean which is often low ceilings, dark rooms, or a paved courtyard with poor drainage.

A quick tip here: If you ask a direct question about something important, follow it up in an email so you get their answer in writing. Getting things written down cuts out the room for error and stops your heart from getting broken later.

Touch: Getting Hands-On and Future-Proofing Your Comfort

Experienced buyers are never shy about testing things out physically:

• Windows and doors: Open and shut doors right across the house. Do they swing freely and latch properly, or do they stick? A door that will not close smoothly can sometimes point to a bigger foundation issue. Try the windows too. Timber sash windows that have been painted shut are expensive specialist jobs to fix. Over time, the mechanism that makes sash windows can also fail. Open every window carefully.
• Storage: Check the storage, is there enough or will you need to add more or reconfigure? Is there a hall cupboard for coats, and umbrellas? A linen cupboard? A broom cupboard?
• Taps and water pressure: Turn on the shower and the bathroom taps at the same time to test the water pressure, and check if the water looks clear or smells heavily of chlorine.
• Drafts and exterior walls: Hold your hand an inch or two away from window glass to feel if heat or cold is radiating straight through. Run your hand over exterior weatherboards or brickwork to check for spongy rotting wood or missing mortar.
• The shower layout: Take a close look at the shower. Is it step-free, or is it positioned over a deep bathtub? A shower over a bath can be a real trip hazard, especially if you live on your own. None of us plan on having a fall doing something as routine as a daily shower, so thinking about these things now keeps you safe and independent for years to come.
• The garden: Have a good look at the garden. Does it look high maintenance? Are the plants designed to look good but are spiky/prickly? Are the plants what you want or will you need to replace them? Quick fixes to get the home on the market may cost you in the long term.

Taste: Getting a Real Taste for the Neighbourhood

This may sound strange! In this regard, it’s about getting a taste for your potentially new area.

It can be the small things, decent coffee, fruit and veg, butchers, supermarket, hairdressers, walking trails, where do all these things fit on your criteria lists?

Is the area somewhere you would feel safe walking around? Are there people around or is it very quiet? Is it quiet as in people have barricaded themselves indoors with security bars on windows and cameras. Or quiet because everyone is at work? How does it feel? What type of neighbourhood are you looking for?

• Rough graffiti? Lack of care with nature strips and footpaths. Broken glass, bottles, rubbish.
• The local council may avoid the area or only do scheduled maintenance and not as needed.
• Graffiti or missing street signs? Multiple cars on house lawns with nowhere else to park?

Consider the next street over as well. Is this an area you are comfortable living in?

When I talk about taste in real estate, I mean getting a proper feel for the daily lifestyle of the suburb.

It really comes down to the simple things: is there a great local café, a decent butcher, a fresh fruit shop, a supermarket, and a nice walking trail nearby?

You are not just buying four walls; you are buying into a whole community.

Smell: Sniffing Out Damp and External Nuisances

If you have a sensitive nose, use it, it is one of your absolute best home-buying assets:

• Internal smells: Older homes collect decades of living scents, from open fires, cigarette smoke, and cooking to pets and old carpet. Watch out for subtle damp odors being masked by scented candles, plug-in air fresheners, or little containers of bi-carb soda hidden in cupboards.
• Refurbished properties: In many retirement villages or quick presale clean-ups, homes get a quick spruce up with new paint and carpet. Just keep in mind that old exhaust fans, dirty ovens, and sub-floors can hold onto stale smells long after the previous owner or pet has moved out. Smells also linger in airconditioning and heating units. Try and turn these on and blast them to see if negative odours filter out.
• External scents: Pay attention to where the wind is blowing from while you are standing outside. Depending on the breeze, you might catch wafts of traffic exhaust from a nearby main road or smells from a local industrial estate.

I once had a client who bought a place near a light industrial area. Shortly after they moved in, a warehouse down the road changed hands and turned into a chicken processing plant. The stench was terrible and there was almost nothing the residents could do about it. It is a huge reason why checking surrounding maps and driving through the nearby streets is so important!

Intuition: Always Trust Your Gut

Last but certainly not least, never ignore that little inner voice.

Sometimes you walk into an open home and instantly get an uncomfortable feeling or feel a strange cold spot. Other times, even if the house is a bit dated and needs work, it immediately feels warm, safe, and like home. Sometimes, it’s just a feeling, sometimes it’s the furniture, the lack of the fresh paint etc that we have become accustomed to with homes on the market, perhaps the artwork that we are uncomfortable with. We don’t all have the same likes and dislikes. To a hunter having the heads of the animals they have killed is a showcase, to others it is revolting (yep, true story).

Your intuition is usually just your subconscious picking up on tiny physical clues long before your logical brain has had time to process them. If a place feels off, listen to that feeling and take a step back to investigate further.

Final Thoughts

Buying a home on your own is a huge, exciting step. Your due diligence includes using every asset you have including using your six senses during open inspections. Bring in the right independent professionals to double-check the details is the smartest move you can make.

When you trust your senses and back them up with good research, you can step into your next chapter with confidence and peace of mind.