Must Agents Reveal Shady Home Histories To Would-Be Buyers?

California is the only state that requires would-be-buyers to be informed.

What would you do if you discovered the house in which you were living was the site of a murder? 
 
That's the position Kayla Bentley found herself in as a newlywed moving in with her in-laws, reports the Detroit Free Press. Her husband's parents loved the three-bedroom, corner-lot home with a full-size kitchen, nice living room,and privacy fencing in Detroit. But Kayla felt uneasy about it. 
 
"It freaks me out, especially because in this situation, (the murderer's) not dead. If he was released or escaped, this is where he’d come," she said. 
 
But in a state like Michigan, you could be living in a home with a similarly shady past and not even know it. In most states, agents are not required to mention if a crime has occurred unless it has material effect on the condition of the property.
 
California is the only state that requires would-be-buyers to be informed. The result of this is a booming industry of exorcists, or cleansers who remove spirits from homes.
 
On the seller's disclosure form, there's nothing that says, "'Has there been a murder? Has there been a ghost?,'" said Michelle R. E. Donovan, a Bloomfield Hills real-estate attorney. “You don’t want to fail to disclose something that would influence the buyer’s decision to not purchase the property.”
 
So it looks like, if this is something that bothers you (and you're not shopping in California,) you'd better do some research. 
 
Read the full article on the Detroit Free Press.
Copyright LXTVN - LXTV
Contact Us