Seller Disclosure
The seller disclosure is a statement made in good faith regarding the condition of the home he/she is trying to sell. There is a seller disclosure form – called “Form 17” - that is required by most states in the USA and, in it, the home seller must make it known to the home buyer any known structural defects like plumbing and electrical problems, and any history of problems with flood, sinkholes or other prior relevant damages to the property and its land.
Although deliberate misrepresentation within this statement can result in liability charges, the seller disclosure is not a substitute for a home inspection, nor warrants anything.
The contents of a seller disclosure can vary from state-to-state - sometimes from county to county! - but a typical form 17 contains information about:
- Structural, electrical and plumbing status of the house
- Title of the home and any ownership problems
- Hazards like lead paint, toxic mold, asbestos, radon etc.
- Water sources, rights and contamination
- Flood danger and previous flood damages
Most of these forms have questions for the home seller to reply to or boxes to check with “don’t know”, so it’s normal that one detail or another slips away. Plus, a lot of times you will deal with a home seller that has no “in-person” knowledge of the home. Like an investor who bought the house to flip it, so he/she doesn’t know what it “feels” like living in there and their seller disclosure might misrepresent some details of it. That’s why, like we’ve said, a home inspector is still needed to avoid nasty surprises down the road.
Real Estate Tips:
The home inspector is a must, but a good real estate agent will go through everything within the seller disclosure and will be able to point out other non-structural red flags for you too. And the place for good real estate agents is right here! Feel free to contact the one you like the most and good luck!
Popular Real Estate Terms
The term apartment is used when referring to a type of residential unit that is self-contained and occupies only a part of the building. Through self-contained, we understand that the ...
Removal of a tenant from a portion of a rented or leased premise. ...
Urbanized area in and around a major city. The metropolitan area may overlap county and state boundaries and may encompass a city, its suburbs, and the orbit of its social and economic ...
Also called a title defect. Any claim, lien, or encumbrance which, if valid, may impair the owners title to the property. This cloud does not hinder transfer of ownership on the property, ...
Decline in the credit status of a prospective homebuyer. ...
Involves the transfer of property from one individual to another for a consideration in the form of sale. It is the most widely used type of real estate deed with a period of bargaining ...
The adjudication definition is a legal ruling or judgment used in the justice system when a case is settled or finalized. To define adjudication, we must look at the justice system and how ...
Region or locality that assesses real estate taxes on the properties located within its borders. Frequently, the local county or city is the property taxing jurisdiction which is empowered, ...
The term assessed value is used to define the dollar value of a property for the applicable taxes. The evaluator, a tax assessor, determines the property’s assessed value for tax ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.