Home Sale Law in Washington

If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, you're probably already aware of the many legal, financial, and other issues that can affect the process and outcome of such a transaction.

While there are no laws in Fife, Washington against individuals buying or selling real estate on their own, this is rarely the best way to go, given the many legal issues surrounding the sale of property.

Accordingly, many people decide to go through a real estate broker when they're buying or selling a house. A real estate broker is a professional who serves as an intermediary between buyers and sellers. They can make the process much easier, helping deal with the tedious details and formalities.

In Fife, Washington, brokers typically receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.

Getting a Mortgage in Fife, Washington

First and foremost, if a buyer asks any question of the seller relating to physical defects in the property, the seller must, under all cases, be as truthful as possible. In this case being "as truthful as possible" means answering such questions to the best of your knowledge, and making reasonable efforts to find the answers if you don't know them. Lying in this case is very bad idea, and will expose you to serious civil penalties

Moreover, most defects should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't directly ask about them. Usually, defects which must be disclosed are those which are known to the seller, and which the buyer cannot be expected to find through a regular inspection.

As a buyer, you should be aware that you have some obligations in this area, too. Buyers are expected to be diligent. Failure to do so might prevent the buyer from recovering in a lawsuit.

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

Can a Fife, Washington Real Estate Attorney help?

If you are buying a home in Fife, Washington, there are probably things you want to focus on other than paperwork and required inspections, such as the process of moving in, checking out schools, etc. A knowledgeable real estate attorney can make it much easier to focus on the aspects of home ownership that matter to you.