Real Estate Curve

If the wood floor in the dining room is rotten in the middle and you plop a rug and the big table over it - and you don’t tell your listing Realtor® - the next big table you look over may be in a courtroom!

When your Realtor® asks you for a list of any defects that’s in your house, they are not just using fair business practices; they are also obeying the law. No longer is it “buyer beware” in our country. There are laws in place specifically governing the disclosure of defects by the seller of a home.

Your Realtor® will ask you for written and signed disclosure of any defects. Failing to do this, can not only result in the loss of a sale if the buyer discovers the defect before the deal is closed, it can also leave you open to litigation.

The buyer may sue you when the defect is discovered and the court will not be sympathetic to you. Claiming ignorance is not likely to be any more effective than telling the Police Officer who is writing you a ticket that you didn’t know what the speed limit was!