Home Sale Law in Maryland

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.

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

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.

Montgomery County, Maryland real estate brokers are usually paid by taking a pre-determined portion of the house's sale price.

Getting a Mortgage in Montgomery County, Maryland

First and foremost, if a buyer asks any question of the seller relating to physical defects in the property, the seller must, under all circumstances, 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

There are some defects, however, that the seller should disclose whether asked or not. Generally, if the seller knows about any defects that are not readily apparent, he or she should disclose them to the buyer, whether or not the buyer specifically asks. This will greatly reduce the chances of the seller being held liable for any defects.

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.

Accordingly, if a buyer fails to conduct a reasonable expectation of the property, he or she cannot recover for any harm caused by defects that such an inspection would have revealed.

Can a Montgomery County, Maryland Real Estate Attorney help?

As you can imagine, there are many more legal and financial issues that can affect the outcome of a real estate transaction. However, buying a house is also a very exciting time for most people. A good Montgomery County, Maryland real estate attorney can help you focus on the positive aspects, and avoid dealing with the most difficult and tedious (but nonetheless necessary) aspects.