Home Sale Law in Virginia
If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, you're likely 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 Salem, Virginia against persons buying or selling real estate on their own, this is rarely the ideal way to go, given the many legal issues surrounding the sale of property.
Therefore, it's typically 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.
Salem, Virginia real estate brokers are typically paid by taking a pre-determined portion of the house's sale price.
Getting a Mortgage in Salem, 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 cases, 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
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. Usually, 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.
Buyers, nonetheless, also have duties in this area. A buyer will not be rewarded for refusing to exercise due diligence.
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 Salem, Virginia Real Estate Attorney help?
Buying a house can be an exciting, but challenging, experience. Most home buyers want to focus on the positive aspects that come with home-ownership, and ignore the tedious paperwork and legal issues. A reliable Salem, Virginia real estate attorney can enable this.