Home Sale Law in Ohio

Buying or selling a house can be an exciting but stressful time in a person's life. It also requires a person to make a large number of potentially life-changing financial and legal decisions.

In Brookville, Ohio, it's perfectly legal for individuals to buy and sell homes without the assistance of a third party. However, this isn't the only option, and isn't always the best option, either.

For that reason, it's normally best to buy and sell property through a real estate broker. This is a person who helps a person buy or sell a home. They assist as an intermediary between the buyer and seller, help sellers find buyers, and help prospective buyers. They also handle a great deal of the paperwork and other formalities involved.

Some Brookville, Ohio real estate brokers charge a flat fee, but most take a relatively small percentage of the sale price of a house they help a client sell.

Getting a Mortgage in Brookville, Ohio

If the buyer asks the seller a question about the physical condition of the home, the seller is legally bound to answer it honestly. If the seller lies when asked a direct question, they have committed a serious form of fraud, and, if sued by the buyer, will incur considerablet liability.

Most considerable defects (those which have any effect on the value or safety of the home) should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't ask about them. If the seller knows of a defect, and a reasonable buyer wouldn't be able to discover it through a normal inspection, the seller must disclose it.

Buyers, however, are not off the hook in this matter. If they ignore defects that they could have easily discovered, they probably won't be able to recover for them.

Typically, buyers have a duty to conduct a reasonable inspection of the property before buying it. Therefore, buyers normally can't recover for defects that could have been discovered via reasonable inspection, unless the seller actively conceals them.

Can a Brookville, Ohio Real Estate Attorney help?

If you're in the process of purchasing a Brookville, Ohio home, the advice of an accomplished real estate attorney can make the process much easier, and help ensure that no surprises come up. This will give you the peace of mind to actually enjoy your new home, rather than worry about it.