Sellers often have a tendency to assume that there is no evil lurking behind the walls or in the drains of their own homes. Unfortunately, many sellers have their eyes covered while looking … metaphorically, of course.

Listen, I understand. If I really saw something that was wrong in my own home, I would immediately set to getting it fixed. I don’t want to live in a sea of schwill, (my own word) and I assume no one else would either.

Unfortunately, while we may see no evil in our own homes, buyers probably will find some. Whether there are eyes placed in back of their heads, or they have a certain telepathy acquired from simply looking at enough homes, they will find something wrong for sure. At least there has never been a home I have walked through, new builds included, where there has not been at least something that needed addressing.

One incident I remember distinctly. I walked into a home I had scheduled to tour with a buyer. The seller met us at the door. As a side note, the seller being present at showings is frowned upon in this industry for a variety of reasons, but that’s a topic for another day. “Come on in,” he said. “We literally just finished fixing everything, so you won’t find any flaws with this house!” Oh dear. Red flag No. 1.

As we walked into the living room, there was a certain feeling of stepping into one of those carnival fun house rooms where nothing quite lines up with your sense of reality. The floor appeared to be flat, but my body didn’t feel like it was. One wall was leaning just enough to make my eyes question if I was seeing things. Meanwhile, the opposite corner seemed to rise like it was trying to escape out of the roof.

Speaking of the roof, that didn’t help much either. Looking up made me feel like I was on a moving ship. The couch itself seemed to be heading downhill. I couldn’t imagine setting a cup atop the table as it would likely slip away. It gave both me and my clients a low-level sense that gravity was playing some sort of a joke on us. And then there was the paint job. It was certainly fresh and bright, but also suspiciously strategic, even to the naked eye.

Buyers see it all, especially when they are accompanied by the well-trained eye of a buyer’s agent. They see the swamp land behind the fence. They see the patch job that wasn’t sanded before painting. They see the foundation crack attempting to play hide-and seek behind the couch. They see it, and they hear it.

Homes have a way of talking, and not in a haunted-house kind of way, but in the steady language of pipes, floors, and systems that have something to say. I’ve watched buyers stop mid-tour, tilt their heads, and ask, “Did you hear that?” Yes, they did.

They hear pipes knocking on the walls, furnaces that sound like they’re preparing for takeoff, and that one stair, the third stair, that has served for years as a built-in early warning system for kids everywhere. You can’t silence a house. It will speak up, usually at the exact moment a buyer is deciding how much they love it.

Speaking of speaking, this is the part where it stops being funny and starts being serious. In Utah real estate, disclosure isn’t optional, it’s required. If there’s something a buyer should know, speak up. Tell the whole story. All of it. Because if you don’t, whatever you hoped would quietly stay hidden has a way of stepping into the spotlight.

Sometimes it shows up during the inspection. Sometimes it shows up after closing. And when it shows up after closing, that’s when the trouble can really start. Skeletons don’t stay tucked away in closets; they pop right out and introduce themselves.

For sellers, it is critical to understand: you don’t get into trouble for having a less-than-perfect home. You get in trouble for pretending it’s perfect. Buyers can handle reality. What they don’t handle well is surprise. When you’re upfront, deals move smoother, buyers feel more confident, and closings feel like celebrations instead of negotiations. When you’re not, stress moves in, and fun moves out.

Real estate in Utah is built on trust, and reputation travels fast. The better approach is simple: see everything, hear everything, and say everything. Because when you do, the process works the way it’s supposed to, everyone gets to the finish line smiling, and that’s is when the real fun begins.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134.