Home Sale Law in Washington
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 Everett, Washington 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, many people decide to go through a real estate broker when they're buying or selling a house. A real estate broker is a professional who serves as an intermediary between buyers and sellers. They can make the procedure much easier, helping deal with the tedious details and formalities.
In Everett, Washington, brokers normally receive compensation in the form of a percentage of the sale price of the home.
Getting a Mortgage in Everett, Washington
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
Additionally, most defects should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't directly ask about them. Typically, 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, 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.
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 Everett, Washington Real Estate Attorney help?
If you're in the process of purchasing an Everett, Washington home, the advice of an accomplished real estate attorney can make the process much easier, and help ensure that no surprises come up. This will give you the peace of mind to actually enjoy your new home, rather than worry about it.