Vermont Mandatory Real Estate Disclosure

Whenever you sell real estate, you are obligated to follow local mandatory disclosure laws. This involves informing the buyer about specific hazards or problems affecting the property before the sale is completed.

In the simplest terms, a Seller's Disclosure is a document a potential buyer receives in order to know what condition the property is in. It contains about 100 questions and it will take you 20-30 minutes at most to complete.You're not required to have this document ready until your home is under contract.

In general, you have an obligation to disclose potential problems and material defects that could affect the value of the property you're trying to sell. In addition, it is considered illegal in most states to deliberately conceal major defects on your property.

(2) The disclosure or disclaimer statement shall be delivered to each purchaser before the execution of the contract of sale by the purchaser in the case of a land installment contract, as defined in § 10-101 of this title.

Under California law, all material facts that affect the value or desirability of the property must be disclosed to the buyer. There is no specific definition or rule on what is considered to be a material fact.

California's Especially Stringent Disclosure Requirements Sellers must fill out and give the buyers a disclosure form listing a broad range of defects, such as a leaky roof, deaths that occurred within three years on the property, neighborhood nuisances such as a dog that barks every night, and more.

Generally, sellers complete real estate disclosure paperwork after the buyers sign the purchase offer agreement or may even have it filled out prior to listing their home. There's no official deadline for delivering the form but it's expected to be provided to the buyers in a timely fashion.

If a seller fails to disclose, or actively conceals, problems that affect the value of the property; they are violating the law, and may be subject to a lawsuit for recovery of damages based on claims of fraud and deceit, misrepresentation and/or breach of contract.

Once you and the buyer have signed a written agreement for the sale of your property, you must deliver a copy of your completed disclosures to the buyer within five business days.