Home Sale Law in Virginia
If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, you're probably already aware of the many legal, financial, and other issues that can affect the process and outcome of such a transaction.
While there are no laws in Reston, Virginia against individuals buying or selling real estate on their own, this is rarely the best way to go, given the many legal issues surrounding the sale of property.
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.
Reston, Virginia real estate brokers are normally paid by taking a pre-determined portion of the house's sale price.
Getting a Mortgage in Reston, Virginia
First and foremost, if a buyer asks any question of the seller relating to physical defects in the property, the seller must, under all situations, be as truthful as possible. In this case being "as truthful as possible" means answering such questions to the best of your knowledge, and making reasonable efforts to find the answers if you don't know them. Lying in this case is very bad idea, and will expose you to serious civil penalties
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 specifically asks. This will greatly reduce the chances of the seller being held liable for any defects.
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.
Buyers have to conduct reasonably-diligent inspections of land they want to purchase. If they fail to do so, they can't sue for any defects which they could have easily discovered.
Can a Reston, Virginia Real Estate Attorney help?
If you are buying a home in Reston, Virginia, 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 brilliant real estate attorney can make it much easier to focus on the aspects of home ownership that matter to you.