Home Sale Law in Kentucky

The decision to buy or sell a house, or other piece of real property, is very crucial. For most, it's one of the most crucial financial decisions of their life.

While no Benton, Kentucky 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.

For that reason, it's usually 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 serve 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 Benton, Kentucky, brokers usually receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.

Getting a Mortgage in Benton, Kentucky

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 significantt liability.

Furthermore, most defects should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't directly ask about them. Generally, 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.

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

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

Can a Benton, Kentucky Real Estate Attorney help?

If you are buying a home in Benton, Kentucky, 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 good real estate attorney can make it much easier to focus on the aspects of home ownership that matter to you.