Home Sale Law in South Dakota

When you are about to buy or sell a home, there are several things that must be considered, not the least of which being the many legal and financial decisions you have to make.

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

For that reason, it's typically 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 help 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.

In Yankton, South Dakota, brokers typically receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.

Getting a Mortgage in Yankton, South Dakota

If the buyer asks the seller a question about the physical condition of the home, the seller is legally required 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 substantialt liability.

Most substantial 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 know it through a normal inspection, the seller must disclose it.

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

Buyers have to conduct reasonably-diligent inspections of land they want to buy. If they refuse to do so, they can't sue for any defects which they could have easily discovered.

Can a Yankton, South Dakota Real Estate Attorney help?

When buying a house, most individuals want to focus on the aspects that directly 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 Yankton, South Dakota real estate attorney could be invaluable.