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 possibly life-changing financial and legal decisions.

In Southampton, New York, 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.

For that reason, it's typically 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 help 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.

In Southampton, New York, brokers typically receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.

Getting a Mortgage in Southampton, New York

Any direct questions asked of the seller by the buyer must be answered truthfully. This is particularly the case if the buyer asks about defects in the property. If the seller lies in response to such questions, they have just committed a very significant form of fraud. If the buyer later discovers this defect (after buying the property) he can sue the seller for any physical or financial harm caused by it.

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 know it through a normal inspection, the seller must disclose it.

Buyers should remember, nonetheless, that if they are not blameless in their failure to discover defects, they might not be able to recover if they sue.

Buyers have to conduct reasonably-diligent inspections of land they want to buy. If they refuse to do so, they can't sue for any defects which they could have easily discovered.

Can a Southampton, New York Real Estate Attorney help?

If you're in the process of purchasing a Southampton, New York home, the advice of an efficient real estate attorney can make the process much easier, and help ensure that no surprises come up. This will give you the peace of mind to actually enjoy your new home, rather than worry about it.