Home Sale Law in Maine

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

Because of the complexity of these issues, most people in Oakland, Maine 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 Oakland, Maine, real estate brokers are typically compensated with a percentage of the home's sale price.

Getting a Mortgage in Oakland, Maine

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 which should be disclosed whether asked or not. Any defect which the seller is aware of, and the buyer can't be reasonably expected to discover before buying the house, must be disclosed.

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.

Therefore, 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 Oakland, Maine 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 Oakland, Maine real estate attorney can help you focus on the positive aspects, and avoid dealing with the most difficult and tedious (but nonetheless necessary) aspects.