Home Sale Law in North Carolina

Buying or selling a house can be an exciting but stressful time in a person's life. It also requires a person to make a large number of potentially life-changing financial and legal decisions.

While there are no laws in Newport, North Carolina against individuals buying or selling real estate on their own, this is rarely the best way to go, given the many legal issues surrounding the sale of property.

One good way to help a real estate sale or purchase go smoothly is to contact a real estate broker. These professionals can help you find the right house within your budget, or help you find suitable buyers for a house you're selling.

Newport, North Carolina real estate brokers are typically paid by taking a pre-determined portion of the house's sale price.

Getting a Mortgage in Newport, North Carolina

If the buyer asks a direct question concerning the physical condition of the property, the seller must answer it truthfully. Misrepresenting a material fact in a real estate transaction is a very serious form of fraud, and could give rise to significant damages against the seller.

Most substantial defects (those which have any effect on the value or safety of the home) should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't ask about them. If the seller knows of a defect, and a reasonable buyer wouldn't be able to discover it through a normal inspection, the seller must disclose it.

As a buyer, you should be aware that you have some obligations in this area, too. Buyers are expected to be diligent. Failure to do so might prevent the buyer from recovering in a lawsuit.

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

Can a Newport, North Carolina Real Estate Attorney help?

If you are buying a home in Newport, North Carolina, 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.