Home Sale Law in Georgia

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

Because of the complexity of these issues, most persons in Richmond County, Georgia don't opt to sell real estate themselves, even though there are no laws barring them from doing so.

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 Richmond County, Georgia, most real estate brokers are paid a commission, represented by a portion of the sale price of the home. Some might charge a flat fee, however.

Getting a Mortgage in Richmond County, Georgia

Any direct questions asked of the seller by the buyer must be answered truthfully. This is especially 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 serious 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. Usually, any defect that the seller knows about and that the buyer can't be expected to discover through a reasonable inspection, it has to be disclosed.

Buyers should remember, however, that if they are not blameless in their failure to discover defects, they might not be able to recover if they sue.

Consequently, buyers must inspect the property before they buy it. If they don't, they can't sue for any defects they later become aware of, if an inspection would have revealed those defects.

Can a Richmond County, Georgia Real Estate Attorney help?

If you are buying a home in Richmond County, Georgia, 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.