Did You Buy a Haunted House?

Congratulations!

You found your dream home.

You have done absolutely everything to protect yourself.

You selected an experienced buyer agent who made certain you paid a fair price for the home.

You hired an experienced home inspector to be certain there are no latent defects.

You have the best and brightest real estate attorney to protect you during and after the transaction.

You have a bank with excellent rates and customer service.

You even decided to invite your mom and dad over to be certain they agree that this is the perfect house for you.

Kudos! You are ready to move into your dream home.

But wait, have you ever thought about asking if your house is haunted, or if a violent crime occurred in the home? If this is important to you, then you need to ASK.

In Massachusetts, a Realtor is NOT required to disclose these kinds of events in a property.

It may be difficult, if not impossible, to prove the existence of ghosts. However, a violent crime that might stigmatize the home is another thing.

If you are interested in understand a bit more on this, research Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93, section 114. While it is illegal for an agent to misrepresent a fact or make a false statement, unless an agent is directly ASKED, they do not have to disclose.

This is a classic case of caveat emptor, Latin for "let the buyer beware."

Buying a house is a complicated endeavor, be sure you have an agent on your side that has experience and resources to back them up.

Good luck in your new house.