Home Sale Law in California

Buying or selling a home is one of the most essential decisions that most people make in their lifetime. It also involves some very complex legal and financial issues.

While no Marin County, California law prohibits people from buying or selling land on their own, this is not always the best idea. There are many complicated issues that can affect the outcome of a property sale or purchase.

Therefore, it's usually a good idea to use a real estate broker for these transactions. A real estate broker is a professional who helps people buy and sell property. They can help buyers find sellers, and vice versa. They can also handle a large percentage of the tedious details.

In Marin County, California, real estate brokers are typically compensated with a percentage of the home's sale price.

Getting a Mortgage in Marin County, California

Any direct questions asked of the seller by the buyer must be answered truthfully. This is particularly the case if the buyer asks about defects in the property. If the seller lies in response to such questions, they have just committed a very significant form of fraud. If the buyer later discovers this defect (after buying the property) he can sue the seller for any physical or financial harm caused by it.

In addition to disclosing any material facts the buyer directly inquires about, most "latent defects" in a house or other piece of property should be disclosed whether the buyer asks or not. Generally, any defect that the seller knows about and that the buyer can't be expected to know through a reasonable inspection, it has to be disclosed.

Of course, buyers are also expected to conduct due diligence. In a case for nondisclosure, courts won't reward a lack of diligence.

Therefore, if a buyer fails to conduct a reasonable expectation of the property, he or she cannot recover for any harm caused by defects that such an inspection would have revealed.

Can a Marin County, California Real Estate Attorney help?

When buying a house, most individuals want to focus on the aspects that actually matter to them, such as moving in. For that reason, it's highly desirable that the process of buying and selling a house goes as smoothly as possible. To that end, a good Marin County, California real estate attorney could be invaluable.