A seller's disclosure form states there are no plumbing defects. After closing, the buyer opens a wall and finds corroded supply pipes. The seller had owned the house for three years, had never had a plumbing repair, and no leak or staining had appeared. Is the statement a disclosure violation?
Correct Answer
D) No — the duty reaches defects the seller knows of, and nothing shows knowledge
A seller must disclose material defects they know about. The duty is not a warranty that the house has none. Three years of ownership with no repair, no leak and no staining gives nothing to support a finding that the seller knew about pipes inside a wall. Other choices: liability for every defect the house turns out to have would turn the form into a warranty, which it is not; being asked about a system does create a duty to answer, but to answer honestly, not to have inspected; and a seller cannot decline to answer at all, so the first choice states the duty backwards.
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Related Topics & Key Terms
Related Topics:
Key Terms:
Related Concepts
Mold disclosure involves informing buyers about the presence of mold or conditions that are conducive to mold growth in a property. While no federal mold disclosure law exists, many states require disclosure of known mold issues.
A property condition disclosure is a written statement by the seller detailing the known condition of the property, including defects, repairs, and issues with major systems. Most states require sellers to complete this form.
Protected classes are groups of people who are legally shielded from discrimination based on specific characteristics.
More Property Disclosures Questions
A seller who fails to provide required disclosures may be liable for:
HOA disclosure requirements typically include:
Potential buyers lose interest in a house because local media repeatedly called it haunted even though inspections reveal no physical problem. What issue is this?
A seller knows that a prior occupant died peacefully in the home several years ago, and there is no physical defect. Which special disclosure issue is presented?
The doctrine of 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) has been largely replaced by:
- → In a state that requires a written disclosure of a home's condition to the buyer, the disclosure form is filled out by:
- → Under TRID, the Loan Estimate replaced which older disclosure form that was previously provided to borrowers early in the loan process?
- → The Closing Disclosure must be received by the borrower at least three business days before closing. If closing is scheduled for Friday and no federal holiday falls during that week, when is the latest the borrower can receive the Closing Disclosure?
- → The Closing Disclosure replaced which two older disclosure forms that were previously used in residential mortgage transactions?
- → Under TRID, all of the following are included on Page 1 of the Loan Estimate EXCEPT.
- → A borrower compares the Loan Estimate with the Closing Disclosure and sees that government recording fees rose from $350 to $400. Under the TRID tolerance rules, is that increase permitted?
- → A borrower receives a Loan Estimate and notices that the estimated title insurance fee is $1,200. At closing, the Closing Disclosure shows the title insurance fee is $1,400. The borrower was allowed to shop for title insurance from a list provided by the lender. Under TRID tolerance rules, is this increase permissible?
- → A lender's origination charge on the Loan Estimate is $2,000. At closing, the origination charge on the Closing Disclosure is $2,300. Under TRID, what must the lender do?
- → A borrower submits a mortgage loan application on Monday. Under TRID, by when must the lender provide the Loan Estimate?
- → The Closing Disclosure includes a section showing how much total interest the borrower will pay over the life of the loan. A borrower sees that for a $300,000 30-year fixed-rate loan at 6.5 percent, the total interest exceeds $382,000. What purpose does this disclosure serve?
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