pennsylvania real estate laws, FSOB and real estate forms, for sale by owner

The contract for sale of real estate must be in writing to be enforceable. When selling a home by owner or with the help of a real estate agent, you want to have the agreement reduced to wrting, a contact for sale of real estate. You can contact my office for more information.

The contract for sale of real estate must be in writing to be enforceable. When selling a home by owner or with the help of a real estate agent, you want to have the agreement reduced to wrting, a contact for sale of real estate. You can contact my office for more information at 412-788-7560 and ask for myself of an associate.

In addition to what was stated above, you MUST also provide your Buyers with a Sellers' Disclosure Statement. If you fail to do so, you could be held liable for problems with the property that the Buyer claims you were aware of and failed to disclose. This is especially important when selling "As Is".

How long have you owned the property? If you have intimate knowledge of defects at the property, you should err on the side of caution and over-disclose in that state required Disclosure form. Additionally, make sure the contract is clear that the property is being purchased As-Is. Finally, check with the municipality and ensure that any necessary certification(s) are obtained and provided. Generally, the buyer's title company will make these specific requests upon you. However, if there is no title insurance (for instance, if the deal is a cash deal and the buyer waives it) you are on your own without counsel. -Harper Dimmerman, Esq. (http://www.hjdlaw.net)

Being in real estate since grade school (my father was a broker for over 30 years) and having practiced in other fields of real estate before becoming a lawyer (admitted in PA & NJ), I never thought I'd see the day when told a seller this answer: you need a lawyer to sell this house. There are so many issues that jump out of this woodwork, it's impossible to address them all in this type of forum. What I hope can be accomplished is to move you to use your local network, media, address book, whatever, to find a highly capable local attorney. Find someone with experience in real estate transactions involving other than plain vanilla properties that are "move-in ready". your attorney should be able advise you about the permits and repairs that a potential buyer will need and which you should disclose, as suggested by my colleagues in this forum. Pay your attorney a reasonable fee. Ask them to provide you with the legal cover you need to sell this property, and what that may entail, including certain repairs, if necessary. Selling this property on your own, without a good attorney, is asking for trouble.