Home Sale Law in Ohio

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 Belpre, Ohio, 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 normally 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 assist 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.

Some Belpre, Ohio 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 Belpre, Ohio

If the buyer asks the seller a question about the physical condition of the home, the seller is legally required to answer it honestly. If the seller lies when asked a direct question, they have committed a serious form of fraud, and, if sued by the buyer, will incur considerablet liability.

There are some defects, however, that the seller should disclose whether asked or not. Typically, 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.

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 Belpre, Ohio Real Estate Attorney help?

When buying a house, most individuals want to focus on the aspects that really 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 Belpre, Ohio real estate attorney could be invaluable.