Home Sale Law in South Dakota

When you are about to buy or sell a home, there are numerous things that must be considered, not the least of which being the many legal and financial decisions you have to make.

While no Watertown, South Dakota law prohibits people from buying or selling land on their own, this is not always the best idea. There are many intricate issues that can affect the outcome of a property sale or purchase.

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 Watertown, South Dakota, brokers typically receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.

Getting a Mortgage in Watertown, South Dakota

If the buyer asks the seller a question about the physical condition of the home, the seller is legally bound 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 substantialt liability.

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

Buyers, however, are not off the hook in this matter. If they ignore defects that they could have easily discovered, they probably won't be able to recover for them.

Consequently, buyers must inspect the property before they buy it. If they don't, they can't sue for any defects they later become aware of, if an inspection would have revealed those defects.

Can a Watertown, South Dakota Real Estate Attorney help?

When buying a house, most people want to focus on the aspects that directly 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 Watertown, South Dakota real estate attorney could be invaluable.