Here’s what Massachusetts home sellers need to know about disclosures.

Today we’re joined once again by Attorney Arielle Cecala from Crowley & Cummings to discuss another important real estate topic: seller’s disclosures. She’s answering all our questions about disclosures.

For starters, how do disclosures fit into a real estate transaction? In Massachusetts, the seller has no legal obligation to disclose anything to the buyer except for the known presence of lead paint. If a seller is asked a question about the home, however, they have to answer truthfully to the best of their knowledge.

“Be careful, thorough, and truthful with your disclosures.”

If a seller discloses material information to an agent, that agent is obligated to also tell potential buyers. Filling out your disclosure is very helpful because it allows you to give your agent important information. A lot of times it ends up helping with liabilities because you stated that everything on there is factual to the best of your knowledge.

When it comes to getting in trouble with disclosures, there are certain situations that you need to avoid. If you have shared information with your agent and you accidentally or purposefully leave it off of the disclosure form, you can get in big legal trouble. If you’re going to make the effort to make disclosures, you need to be careful, truthful, and thorough.

Finally, do you need to disclose a murder at your house? You do not. You don’t have to disclose hauntings either. However, if it’s important to a buyer and they ask, you have to tell the truth.

Thanks again to Arielle for joining us. If you have any other disclosure or legal real estate questions for her, reach out via  phone at (781) 251-0540 or email at acecala@crowleycummings.com

If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to hearing from you soon.