Home Sale Law in Washington

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 Medical Lake, Washington 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.

Accordingly, 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 process much easier, helping deal with the tedious details and formalities.

Some Medical Lake, Washington real estate brokers charge a flat fee, but most take a relatively small percentage of the sale price of a house they help a client sell.

Getting a Mortgage in Medical Lake, Washington

If the buyer asks a direct question concerning the physical condition of the property, the seller must answer it truthfully. Misrepresenting a material fact in a real estate transaction is a very serious form of fraud, and could give rise to significant damages against the seller.

Most substantial defects (those which have any effect on the value or safety of the home) should be disclosed even if the buyer doesn't ask about them. If the seller knows of a defect, and a reasonable buyer wouldn't be able to discover it through a normal inspection, the seller must disclose it.

Buyers should remember, however, that if they are not blameless in their failure to discover defects, they might not be able to recover if they sue.

In general, buyers of real estate have to conduct diligent inspections of property they wish to purchase. A failure to do so might prevent the buyer from recovering if they're injured by a defect which they could have discovered.

Can a Medical Lake, Washington Real Estate Attorney help?

As you can imagine, there are many more legal and financial issues that can affect the outcome of a real estate transaction. However, buying a house is also a very exciting time for most people. A knowledgeable Medical Lake, Washington real estate attorney can help you focus on the positive aspects, and avoid dealing with the most difficult and tedious (but nonetheless necessary) aspects.