When going through a real estate transaction, sellers are supposed to disclose certain details about the property. Examples include water damage, fire damage, known hazards, repair records, hazardous materials in the home and much more.
However, in many of these cases, sellers are only obligated to disclose things that they already know about. It is theoretically possible that there could be issues with the property that the seller is simply unaware of. This is one of the key reasons why it can be helpful to carry out a property inspection. But could there be evidence that the seller tried to hide issues and then claimed they didn’t know about them?
Recent repairs
One thing to look for is if the home has recently been repaired or updated in certain ways. Was this actually an attempt to hide issues with the property?
For example, say that the seller recently repainted the kitchen. In their disclosure, they make no mention of water damage.
But were they actually repainting the kitchen just because they wanted to refresh it before selling the property? Or was there water damage in the kitchen, and they just tried to quickly paint over it to hide the discoloration, cracks, mold, mildew and other issues that water can bring with it?
This certainly isn’t to say that all sellers who update their homes are attempting to hide problems with the house. But it is something to be aware of, and that’s why you need to carefully examine a property before making a purchase. If you do run into issues with disclosures or damage to the property, which could result in a dispute, be sure you know what legal options you have.