Home Sale Law in Missouri

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

In Carthage, Missouri, it's perfectly legal for individuals to buy and sell homes without the assistance of a third party. Nonetheless, this isn't the only option, and isn't always the best option, either.

Therefore, 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 procedure much easier, helping deal with the tedious details and formalities.

Some Carthage, Missouri real estate brokers charge a flat fee, but most take a relatively small percentage of the sale price of a house they assist a client sell.

Getting a Mortgage in Carthage, Missouri

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 directly asks. This will greatly reduce the chances of the seller being held liable for any defects.

Buyers, nonetheless, are not off the hook in this matter. If they ignore defects that they could have quickly 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 Carthage, Missouri Real Estate Attorney help?

When buying a house, most individuals want to focus on the aspects that actually matter to them, such as moving in. For that reason, it's highly desirable that the process of buying and selling a house goes as smoothly as possible. To that end, a good Carthage, Missouri real estate attorney could be invaluable.