“What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone’s Home?”: 30 Honest Answers

When someone welcomes you to their humble abode for the first time, the kind thing to do is be open-minded and non-judgmental. You may not love the rug they chose for the living room, or you might secretly be noticing that your home is more spacious. But as long as they’re a courteous host, you can keep your criticisms to yourself!

But what are we to do when we arrive at someone’s house and find a litter box that hasn’t been cleaned in a month, dirty dishes overflowing in the sink or a concerning amount of weapons on display? Redditors have recently been sharing the biggest red flags that one might find when visiting another person’s home, so enjoy scrolling through and be sure to upvote the things that would send you running for the hills too!

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Boxes of classified documents sitting next to the shitter

calicoarmz Report

Final score:

258points

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TheNewJenBrady 10 months ago

Lol

60points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Pets that are not cared for properly.

Main_Dimension7191 , Dina Nasyrova / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

245points

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TheGoodBoi 10 months ago

Pets are our children

37points

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A sad parrot in a small, dirty cage that is never let out. Birds are so smart and live so long. It's cruelty. I hate people who keep them cooped up, ignored, and don't change their water.

Altruistic_Bell5498 Report

Final score:

203points

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Birgit Sommer 10 months ago

You can also recognize parrot neglect by their feathers. When they get depressed they pull out their own feathers and have bald patches. A lot worse than the normal seasonal changes.

29points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers No books.

I dated a guy that laughed at me for buying a bookshelf because “who the f**k reads books.”

Edit to add: I truly didn’t mean to offend digital only readers. I read ebooks and I listen to a lot of audiobooks; I’m not Laura Ingalls Wilder over here living in a little house on the prairie. The comments that are snarky or trying to point out that I am old or that I’ve never heard of a library are also red flags.

Complete-Lettuce-941 , Alvaro Matzumura / unsplash (nott the actual photo) Report

Final score:

179points

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Stephanie Did It 10 months ago (edited)

I'm a voracious reader and have an embarrassing number of ebooks on my Kindle (started using it in 2014). But I also have 4 large bookcases full of beloved volumes that I periodically read because they're old friends. Very rarely will I sell or trade them because they were chosen with care, and they speak of who I am and what shaped my personality, from my childhood onward. They're my life's narrative.

112points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers No hand soap in the bathroom

Haunted-Macaron , Mélissa Jeanty / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

178points

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CascadedFalls 10 months ago (edited)

Oof, this one, if there isn't any cleaning substance for your hands, that's just extremely unsanitary. I edited my comment because it seemed some people misunderstood. I'm emphasizing that while my family has incorporated hand sanitizer more into their lives recently, we haven't abandoned soap—everyone still uses it daily, lol.

28points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers i don't know if it counts as "see", but family members yelling/fighting while I'm there. Like what's happening when you DON'T have a guest over??

thankyou_forsunshine , Liza Summer / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

168points

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Betty Vanderhooven-SchmaaSchmaa 10 months ago

Yup. Visiting my 50 yo sister. She has ppl renting rooms from her. My sister decided to verbally attack me for about 30 mins while her renter hid in her room. I won't be back. EVER.

45points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Children's bedroom doors with locks on the outside and bathrooms with doors that don't lock. I was honestly horrified to find them installed when we moved in to our new home.

Edit: To clarify, these were latch and ring, padlock, locks.

Honestas-ante-omnia , Kaffeebart / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

142points

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censorshipsucks 10 months ago

that's not a red flag scenario, that is a "call CPS" scenario.

116points

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"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers extreme pet smell/mess/signs of fleas is a huge one for me. Trash piled beyond the trash can, taking over the cooking/eating surfaces

bubonic_vague , Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

137points

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Betty Vanderhooven-SchmaaSchmaa 10 months ago

Dog c**p on the floor in the dining room. Overflowing litter box.

23points

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A wall of crosses. Creepy af.

Yodiebear Report

Final score:

103points

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Brandt Hambrick 10 months ago

What kind of crosses? They sell crosses at furniture stores. Are we talking true crucifixes? Even then it’s probably just a collection.

3points

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#10

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Never any clean towels. One time my ex knew I was staying over, and he had absolutely no clean towels — gave me a T-shirt to dry off with.

steffinix , Alex Plesovskich / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

100points

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shankShaw deReemer 10 months ago

I would be out of there, never to return.

25points

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#11

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Dirty bathroom. Dirty toliet. I get that someone's house can't always be immaculate but if I see grim in the toliet, gross, that is a total red flag!! Especially if you invited me over and still didn't clean your toliet.
My son played sports with a boy who I would give rides home to a lot. One time I couldn't wait to get home to pee and asked to use her restroom. It was so bad I didn't go and just waited till I drove across town to get home. 😫

lilanniem73 , Sebastien LE DEROUT / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

94points

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Garthus Andicus 10 months ago

Once upon a time I went to hangout with a friend of mine at his college apartment. Honestly the apartment itself wasn't too bad. But when I asked to use the restroom the horrors became prevalent. The toilet had poo splatters all over it and there was literally a spider living in the open hole. I asked where I should pee at. And he said the sink because the bath is where he would poo.........

25points

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#12

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Not having pillow cases on the bed. You know those sheets and blankets are filthy then

TemperatureExotic631 , Jude Infantini / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

91points

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Niki Amling 10 months ago

I don't have a pillow case because I don't use a pillow :V

5points

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#13

Roaches... and bedbugs

itrustanyone Report

Final score:

89points

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Tammilee Truitt 10 months ago

They can and will travel home with you. I'm out of there.

21points

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#14

Zip ties, duct tape, a balaclava, and nitrile gloves, all in a plastic bag.

Canadian_bro7 Report

Final score:

87points

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Ansi 10 months ago

Bleach too?

35points

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#15

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Nothing wrong with being into anime and having merch. But if I notice a lot of posters and figures of characters that are very young and childish looking particularly ones that are clearly meant to be sexualized I'm gonna ask a lot of questions

funkyjiveturkey , Kadyn Pierce / unsplash (not the acttual photo) Report

Final score:

85points

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Kat Hoth 10 months ago

Question 1. WTF am I doing here?

31points

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#16

Filth. Piles of dirty dishes, nasty stove tops, disgusting floors, heaps of dirty laundry, mountains of trash.

newpopthink Report

Final score:

82points

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Tracy Wallick 10 months ago

Soft no. This might be a sign that they're severely depressed.

70points

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#17

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers I would imagine anybody who has old uncovered food lying around. Anybody who is willing to leave old uneaten food uncovered in their home screams unsanitary.

Ryye Report

Final score:

79points

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Kaddiss Ventorum 10 months ago

I cleaned a house once that had been foreclosed. It belonged to a fisher/angler. He had gutted all his fish on the counters and never cleaned. There was years of blood I had to scrub from every surface you can imagine in a kitchen, along with roach feces. Roach feces looks like coffee grounds and can and will cover furniture in high traffic areas. Also check crown molding in kitchens. Dead bugs will drop like an exorcism.

11points

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#18

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Expensive PC and everything else is broken and rundown

THE_TRIP_KEEPER , Alienware / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

74points

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LeftEyedAsmodeus 10 months ago

That doesnt work when its a progammer, tho - my pc is clearly my most priced posession, but i cant work without a workstation that costs more than a car.

34points

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#19

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Girl I went in a few dates with told me she’d let me come in next time bc her place was messy and didn’t want me to see. We went to her place after our next date - she asked me to wait outside while she tidied up a bit first - and her rabbit cage was in the middle of the floor and it had thrown s**t out of the cage all around the floor. She had several full garbage bags in the corner. I don’t remember the other details but it was filthy. This was after she had cleaned and also done a quick tidy. I’m not exactly Martha Stewart but the s**t just laying on the floor was too much for me.

orangutanDOTorg , Chan Chai Kee / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

71points

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Charles McChristy 10 months ago

Really makes you wonder what she found unacceptable to leave out and had to clean up before you entered, yuck.

33points

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#20

Neglected children or pets, filth, broken furniture/appliances, evidence of extreme hoarding, evidence of drug or alcohol abuse, really inappropriate 'art'...you'll know it when you see it.

Heavy_Direction1547 Report

Final score:

70points

POST

Stephanie Did It 10 months ago

For some years I cleaned houses to earn a little extra. One client was a podiatrist. The decor clearly showed that it was not just a career, but a fetish. His wife seemed fine with it, though.

9points

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#21

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers When it's extremely messy. I can understand a moderate amount of disorganization, but when I have to jump over piles of dirty clothes and trash, that's when I know I need to leave.

LE01SLOV3D , Jas Min / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

68points

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VNES101 10 months ago

I think there is a huge difference between messy and DIRTY.

30points

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#22

House hunting and the homeowner was home at one place when our realtor was told he'd be out. He was pissed off we were there, but let us in and kind of hovered in the background while we looked around.

There was barely any furniture and trash all over the floor. The walls were hung with about a dozen professional wedding portraits -- all with the bride's eyes gouged out. Then we saw the fist-sized holes in the walls and we got out of there.

MillieSparklepants Report

Final score:

67points

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censorshipsucks 10 months ago

hopefully the bride managed to escape and get a restraining order against him.

37points

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#23

no soap at the bathroom sink. look, i’ll scuff at my hands with that dehydrated yeti toenail of a Dial bar curled up in the corner of your shower if I must. but damn..what’s it take to Irish spring your a*s down to the DG and buy a little aloe-scented pump action for a buck?

breathingcog Report

Final score:

61points

POST

María Hermida 10 months ago

I got lost after the first sentence

29points

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#24

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers MLM inventory for their “business” or they buy a lot of MLM stuff. Minus a normal amount of Tupperware.

mountcoffee , Curology / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

60points

POST

Dingooo 10 months ago

Using acronyms like everybody's supposed to know what you're talking about with no prior explanation ticks me off.

17points

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#25

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers I think signs of alcoholism can be problematic, but not necessarily. But if my kids want to play at other kids homes, this is a red flag.

Watersalamanders , DiamondRehab Thailand / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

60points

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Ace 10 months ago

What 'signs' are problematic, and which ones are not?

26points

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#26

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers "Sorry I had no time to clean before your visit" when the place has obviously not been cleaned in like a year. Yikes.

ThinkBug3947 , Jason Leung / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

60points

POST

Rocket Surgeon 10 months ago

Well technically they didn't lie...

32points

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#27

They’re messy. Not like, clothes lying on the floor, but moldy dishes and trash all over the floor. I’m a bit of a neat freak, so that would drive me up the wall. If it’s due to mental health and they’re at least trying, I can empathize a bit. If it’s because they’re just lazy or make excuses they refuse to attempt to work on… no.

RavingSquirrel11 Report

Final score:

57points

POST

PattyK 10 months ago

See the points above about the difference between “messy” and “dirty.” What you’re describing is “dirty.”

16points

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#28

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Moldy dog poop inside, the outside garbage bins in the living room, 4 metal NYC garbage cans in the kitchen

iStabYouInTheUrethra , Sigmund / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

56points

POST

Stephanie Did It 10 months ago

Oddly specific?

42points

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#29

Smell of not properly ventilated place, a huge mess and unclean surfaces

Arabian_bi Report

Final score:

44points

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Amy E 10 months ago

Air flow and clean filters are important!

6points

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#30

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Live laugh love.

chickendipperzzzz , Cissurz / WIkipedia (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

41points

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Betty Vanderhooven-SchmaaSchmaa 10 months ago

It's just outdated to me, but I'm not put off by it. Folks are too sensitive.

33points

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#31

15 neglected snakes and a dead tarantula

nxtpls Report

Final score:

22points

POST

Cherrie 10 months ago

Oddly specific......

16points

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#32

A big poo on the floor

vhs_collection Report

Final score:

19points

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Cherrie 10 months ago

That's a brown flag

26points

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#33

The cleanliness of their kitchen.

My exs family had a disgusting habit of not doing dishes until every f*****g dish was dirty. Did they put up old food? No they let it rot on the counters.
I got invited to dinner once and I never went back after that. I couldn't even eat, I just had to repeatedly tell them that I wasn't hungry.

og1leggedkush Report

Final score:

16points

POST

Tammilee Truitt 10 months ago

Trying desperately not to offend the offenders

2points

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#34

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers When invited over for dinner I do not want to see their cat roaming the kitchen counter.

HawkorDove , Nick Karvounis / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

16points

POST

CF 10 months ago

Don't come to my house! Harry cannot be kept off the counters. He curled up on the ScatMat (beeper-zapper), sniffed the motion activated SsssCat curiously as it phoofed compressed air into his face. He scoffed at my several other attempts as well. All I can do is clean the counters before any food prep.

28points

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#35

A beeping smoke detector

nooklaloosh Report

Final score:

15points

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Elio 10 months ago

I see you've been to my mom's house.

0points

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#36

Too many repaired holes in the walls.

ZestycloseConfidence Report

Final score:

13points

POST

Sonja 10 months ago

If I saw a hole in a German wall I'd be impressed. Brick walls are the norm here and if you tried hitting most walls you'd only break your knuckles.

2points

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#37

A giant Live laugh love sticker on a blank white wall

W41K3R_62738 Report

Final score:

12points

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Katrina Nixon 10 months ago

And dance like nobody's watching!

0points

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#38

A belly button on a lampshade.

Final_Pomelo_2603 Report

Final score:

10points

POST

Amalie Jaye 10 months ago

…. Just wth?…..

14points

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#39

A board with newspaper clippings & images of women's faces with their eyes X'd out

Upbeat_Tension_8077 Report

Final score:

7points

POST

censorshipsucks 10 months ago

Have you actually seen this in person or just in movies? I doubt any psycho is stupid enough to actually leave this kind of evidence around.

8points

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#40

55 gallon drum in the bedroom

Logical-Rip-8138 Report

Final score:

6points

POST

Scott Wilkins 10 months ago

It depends on what's in the drum. I drink about that much coffee in my bedroom getting ready to face my job.

7points

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#41

Someone who lives there is in a corner silently crying for no reason.

gpcousins2 Report

Final score:

5points

POST

Tee Pussi 10 months ago

This is my home and I'll cry if I want to

8points

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#42

Single layer toilet paper.

FairyKatsumi Report

Final score:

1point

POST

wowbagger 10 months ago

Well, you won't want to visit my house, then. I'm sorry for being poor.

7points

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#43

A camera, a chair, tarp, rope, and a tool box

Xiaohuli04 Report

Final score:

-1point

POST

censorshipsucks 10 months ago

Sounds like another person watching too many movies. If you walked into a house and saw that you'd have to run immediately.

5points

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#44

"What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone's Home?": 30 Honest Answers Nothing on the walls.

WakingOwl1 , Andrew Neel / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

Final score:

-4points

POST

TheElderNom 10 months ago

I'm curious, why is this a red flag?

10points

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What do you think ?

Becky Samuel 10 months ago

Apparently, having depression or an executive function disorder now makes you a "bad person" who should be avoided at all costs. Of course animals and children need to be protected, but this community and society in general are so two-faced when it comes to matters of mental health. When people say that mental health matters, it so often seems to really mean "Mental health matters so long as you behave acceptably, respond in a way that I find pleasing, and generally isn't any inconvenience to me"

18points

I think it depends on what kind of relationship you have with the person, and also plenty of other factors. Some people have depression and some people are just filthy. I used to have a close friend whose house was disgusting, in general, like dirty clothes and banana peels under furniture, rotten fish leftovers in the oven, assorted mummified good in the fridge, dirty plates all over the place, four or five rubbish bags piled in a corner in the kitchen... They (my friend and her husband) were not depressed, just too lazy to clean. We stopped being friends for other reasons, but I won't miss going to her house for coffee at all.

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DB 10 months ago

Lot's of guns.

Isaac Nemo 10 months ago

Messy, said 10 different ways

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“What Is A Red Flag To See In Someone’s Home?”: 30 Honest Answers

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