Full Disclosure
In a broader sense, Full Disclosure means presenting all information (significant or not, classified or not) related to a certain matter.
In Real Estate, the term “Full Disclosure” can be used in different situations… it can be used as a requirement for a lender to disclose to borrowers the effective cost of a loan; its terms, conditions and all the fine print. But also, and more commonly, to refer to a requirement a real estate broker – or a home seller going the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route – has of providing all known information about the condition of a property - its structural flaws, its average energy consumption, its blueprint etc. – to the home buyer. If after the sale the home buyer discovers information discrepancy both the real estate broker and the former homeowner are eligible to get sued for not giving the full disclosure.
That’s why the services of a home inspector are so important. It becomes his/her responsibility to disclose all the problems of the house. Any liability becomes his/hers.
There are disclosure forms so no one says “but how would I know I had to look for that?”. There are federal disclosure requirements but also, because every locality has its own characteristics, state disclosure requirements.
Real Estate Tips:
Full disclosure? Find a real estate agent because without them everything becomes much more difficult!
Popular Real Estate Terms
Determination made concerning the motivation of a testator in making devises of the will. A will can be contested if it can be proved the testator did not have rational motives when ...
Where property is sold to the highest bidder. ...
When someone throws around the term “mobile home”, it almost requires further explanation to fully understand what that person is talking about. Why is that? Well, one mobile ...
The definition for the gross living area published by the Appraisal Institute’s Dictionary of Real Estate 4th Edition is: “The total area of finished, above-grade residential ...
Reformation in real estate means a legal action to straighten out an erroneous deed, a misleading document, an error, a paragraph, or a contract entirely which resulted from an ...
Taxpayer can deduct losses only to the degree of risk. Amounts are restricted to the cash investment and the debt from which the taxpayer is personally liable. ...
Aluminum or metal treated barrier that is placed between the concrete and wood of the foundation of a newly constructed building to prevent termites from infesting the wood. Many experts ...
Older property is bought usually by a governmental agency to be modernized and improved. In many cases, the deteriorating property is torn down and a new structure built. An example is ...
A fixed asset whose utility is derived from its physical attachment to a property and which usually cannot value or damage. A fixture, under the terms of a lease or other agreement, can be ...

Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.