Home Sale Law in New York

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.

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

One good way to help a real estate sale or purchase go smoothly is to retain 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.

Queens County, New York real estate brokers are normally paid by taking a pre-determined portion of the house's sale price.

Getting a Mortgage in Queens County, New York

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.

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

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

Can a Queens County, New York 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 brilliant Queens County, New York real estate attorney can help you focus on the positive aspects, and avoid dealing with the most difficult and tedious (but nonetheless necessary) aspects.