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 Columbus, 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.
Therefore, it's normally a good idea to use a real estate broker for these transactions. A real estate broker is a professional who helps people buy and sell property. They can help buyers find sellers, and vice versa. They can also handle a large percentage of the tedious details.
In Columbus, Ohio, real estate brokers are usually compensated with a percentage of the home's sale price.
Getting a Mortgage in Columbus, 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.
In addition to disclosing any material facts the buyer directly inquires about, most "latent defects" in a house or other piece of property should be disclosed whether the buyer asks or not. Typically, any defect that the seller knows about and that the buyer can't be expected to know through a reasonable inspection, it has to be disclosed.
Of course, buyers are also expected to conduct due diligence. In a case 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 Columbus, Ohio Real Estate Attorney help?
If you are buying a home in Columbus, Ohio, 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 seasoned real estate attorney can make it much easier to focus on the aspects of home ownership that matter to you.