We all have little surprises that happen to us.
The time you don't want to be surprised is after you have purchased a new home. Walking in for the first time as the owner of a home and finding something your were not expecting.
I had an agent call and ask, "what do I do....my client just walked into to her home and the basement is full of water!" The agent had just sold a home...inspections were done. Disclosures said periodic water in a specific section of the basement after heavy rains.
We just had record breaking rains in fact the second highest rainfall in history for this past month in our area. The buyer had stopped right after one of the heavy down-pours with the agent and the basement was dry.
The buyer in this case does not have much if any recourse. That is why it is recommended to do a final "Walk-Through" the day of close. You could delay the close, to investigate further the problem. In many cases such as our purchase agreement rules...you have 10 days for inspections from the date of the contract. Once you have signed off on the inspections you could be in breech of the contract, unless the new evidence is considered a change in the property condition.
We have all heard of stoves and refrigerators being swapped by sellers and giving the buyer a old one from the garage or purchased a cheap one enabling them to keep the new one.
We have been the benefit of rugs and furniture covering stained carpets. We have even seen pictures hung to cover holes in walls, curtains to cover a broken window. Cookie jars placed just right to cover a burn mark on the counter. A new wall put up in a basement to cover that spot that molds all the time because of a little moisture leak.
The things that can be covered are as inventive as the sellers and buyers themselves. How about the purchaser that felt so comfortable with the seller that he didn't get a survey. Only 
to find out the driveway he thought was his belonged to the neighbor. Surprise! I must admit I read this one, it didn't happen to me or any of my agents!
The buyer walked down the driveway, looked in the garage that was open at the time....said to the seller, "nice garage...even has a new garage door". The seller said, Yeah it is nice, even has a work bench. The seller never said it was his or that it wasn't. The buyer assumed it came with the house, since the siding was the same color. The listing said no garage. The buyer bought directly from the seller and never questioned the buyer further.
Surprises can happen...using a professional to help you purchase and sell can help you identify issues before the become surprises.
Live in Grand Rapids or West Michigan area, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.
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It is up to the buyers agent, in my opinion, to carefully read the property description, discuss it with the buyer, and ask questions on behalf of their buye when in doubt. I recommend that a buyer photograph appliances if they are high end, or if possible, write down the serial number if accessible and put them on the contract.