When can you cancel a home purchase before closing?

Question: “My brother is buying a home in L.A. He’s a month into it and is supposed to close in March. Their agent just walked through the house and disclosed to him some issues he found. I don’t know what they are, but my brother is pretty freaked out and wants to cancel. Since this
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7 Disclosure Tips to Help Keep You Out of Court

Question: “We’ll be selling our home in University City next year. I’m an honest person and plan to disclose everything, even though I don’t know of anything wrong with our home. But with all the lawyers and litigation in California, I’m afraid of being sued by the buyer for some technicality. What can I do
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Is the Buyer Responsible for Problems if They Waive Inspection?

Question: “We sold our house in Orange County in April and forgot to disclose that the fireplace was pulling away from the house. The buyer didn’t bother to have an inspection and now they’re threatening to sue us for the fireplace repair, which is around $5,000. Isn’t the buyer the one responsible if they decide
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Must Sellers Disclose San Diego Home Appraisals?

Question: “I just bought a house and we closed a few days ago. We paid $550,000, but now I just heard from a neighbor that the old owner had the house appraised and it was for $525,000. Didn’t they have to disclose that?” Answer: Simple answer is “no.” But I rarely keep it simple, do
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When Are Sellers Liable for Lack of Disclosure?

Question: (From clients whose home I sold in San Diego.) “We found some serious structural damage to the addition of the home we just bought here in Texas. Kelly and I would appreciate your opinion given your expertise in real estate. We were told the addition was permitted but can find no documentation of it.
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How to Avoid Being Sued When Selling Your San Diego Home

Question: “I’ve never sold a home and I’m very worried about being sued for not disclosing something. Do you have any tips to avoid being sued?” Answer: It’s all about disclosure. If you disclose everything to a buyer, they’re unlikely to sue you later or win if they do sue you. And the proper way
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Are Agents Responsible for Finding & Disclosing Home Problems?

Question: “Hi Gary. A friend of mine bought a home and it turned out to have several problems, including a lot of mold behind a couch. Is an agent responsible for finding and disclosing things like that?” Answer: An agent is legally required to “conduct a reasonably competent diligent visual inspection of reasonably and normally
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When Does the Seller Pay for Undisclosed Problems?

Question: “We bought a house and the seller disclosed the presence of a cat in one room, but no disclosure of any pet stains.  We pulled up carpet and found 15-20 stains on the floor underneath.  Is this a case where seller should have known and disclosed it? Or is he covered by saying he
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Of Disclosures and Property Lines

Question: “I’m buying a house and we’re closing in 3 days.  There’s a nice detached building in the back that I’ll use as an office.  But the neighbor just said it’s built too close to his property line and he’s going to report it.  All my contingencies are released.  Since this is a new disclosure,
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Sellers Still Make Disclosures If They’re Not Residents

Question: “My sister bought a home and later found several things wrong that the seller should have known.  I read your newsletter, so I told her to check her disclosures to see if the problems were disclosed.  She said she got almost no disclosures because, per her agent, since the seller didn’t live in the
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