Just a few simple questions...

[Maruff]

So I don't where to start cause I'm totally confused. So I've played D&D since around 2001 Under my 1st and 2nd DM's search would find significant items like magic items, mundane items of worth, traps, and other. Now under my 3rd DM search only finds secret doors, and traps at least that's how it's been for the last 4 levels. So it really bothered me when I roll a 35 on a room with just an alter in it and did not find the Cloak, belt and ion stone. So I had to cast detect magic to find these items. Keep in mind these things were not in secret compartment or anything. Next room I rolled a 26 on search and did not spot the broom with a cloak over it. I had to detect magic to locate them and they were just in the corner. I have always been under the impression that magic items always look better than what they should like a claok of cha would look really nice or a magic sword on a sword rack with 9 rusted swords would be the one that is not rusted. I dunno that's how alot of pre-mades in Dungeon was so it put that into my mind that search was a good skill to have cause you find stuff.

[Seto]

I don't have the exact description in mind, but the way my group and I use it, search lets you find whatever you can find by taking a thorough look around. Still better to specify what it is you want to find : "I search the room" isn't the same as "I search for anything unusual" or "I search for nice items" or "I search for traps". For example, my character once needed to find the remains of a priest in a ruin that was burnt to the ground. Found the burnt bones with Search.

[Yuki Akuma]

A Search check should probably find hidden items unless they were hidden really, really well. It's an opposed check after all, the other guy might just be really good.

And there's no reason why a magic item has to look better than average. Yes, all magic items are masterwork, but they could be disguised to look terrible. (Also, determining if something looks valuable is an Appraise check. Do you have that skill?)

Sometimes there might just not be stuff to find! But if you're using Detect Magic and finding magic items that you couldn't find with a Search check of 35, something is probably wrong.

Also: Line breaks. They are a thing you should be using.

[Flickerdart]

Search is not only for locating traps. The skill itself gives "Ransack a chest full of junk to find a certain item" as an example use, with only a DC of 10.

For checking if you spot objects lying around that you aren't actively looking for, Spot should be used. If they're lying in plain sight, the DC is 1 for every 10 feet of distance, so they're very easy to spot and you probably shouldn't bother rolling at all.

However, if the item is mixed in with similar-looking nonmagical items (such as a sword on a rack of swords) then you will need some way to determine if any are magical. The Appraise skill is used for determining value, or you could indeed use detect magic. There is no rule that magic items must look nicer than regular ones. They must be masterwork (if weapons or armour), which means they are finely crafted, and many are decorated in some way that hints to their function, but if you have a rack with 10 masterwork swords, then Search will not let you determine which one is magical.

[Telonius]

If a magic item is just kind of lying around, I could see a search check not finding it. If it's a cloak just kind of lying on a hook, or a spare pair of pants just happen to have a magic belt in them, and you're not specifically looking for it? I could see that not working. Search isn't Detect Magic. (I would say that the DM is being really pedantic about it; seeing something like, "there's a broom in the corner," is a pretty trivial spot check).

But if there's any indication that the item in question is deliberately hidden? No way, a search check would absolutely let you find it. You don't put something in a hidden compartment or a locked box unless it's valuable. And something as unusual-looking as Ioun Stones would be something you'd find regardless. (I'd call total baloney if it were something like a wand or a rod that any adventurer would recognize on sight).