[OnTrack]

I would want to know if a water leak (especially of the magnitude described) occurred, so that I could at least make an informed decision on whether I'm willing to take the risk it will happen again.

In other words, was it just a fluke and a one time occurrence...or endemic of other serious problems?

Water lines embedded in the slabs of almost new houses...don't just break.

There's a reason for it.


.

[jmac1031]

Disclose- disclose -disclose is always best- especially when you know the neighbors will share. Speaking as an experienced real estate agent who believes in maintaining positive long term relationships with clients.

[dalecrenshaw]

Originally Posted by Parker

The house next door is in the foreclosure process. One of the owners committed suicide about 2-3 years ago and its been empty since. My question is this: When it finally goes on sale, will the agent be required to disclose the suicide, or will the buyers learn after they close and move in? Most of us neighbors know, so they are sure to discover this at some point, though they certainly won't hear it from me. The death was particularly grim and will disturb even the most even-tempered person.

So are there any real estate legal folks out there who know this answer?

I was in Real Estate for 30 yrs. in California and we had to disclose a suicide, death by any means whether by natural causes, accident, murder or suicide for 3 years after the event.

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by jmac1031

Disclose- disclose -disclose is always best- especially when you know the neighbors will share. Speaking as an experienced real estate agent who believes in maintaining positive long term relationships with clients.

Excellent!

You sound like the kind of agent I would like to have...and that we need more of.

.

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by dalecrenshaw

I was in Real Estate for 30 yrs. in California and we had to disclose a suicide, death by any means whether by natural causes, accident, murder or suicide for 3 years after the event.

The same in my previous state.

It only seems proper to do such.

.

[TrudyM]

You can always make your own disclosure questionnaire part of the contract. We have moved a lot and not trusting or wanting to get into the laws of a state we are new to we have a list of disclosure questions that we require as part of the contract. You can always modify any contract to fit your comfort. If they don't accept they don't accept. I am known for crossing out what I don't like (make sure to initial and date) add addendums and generally change up the standard forms it drives realtors nuts.

[mulligan]

Originally Posted by OnTrack

I would want to know if a water leak (especially of the magnitude described) occurred, so that I could at least make an informed decision on whether I'm willing to take the risk it will happen again.

In other words, was it just a fluke and a one time occurrence...or endemic of other serious problems?

Water lines embedded in the slabs of almost new houses...don't just break.

There's a reason for it.


.

Water lines are buried before the slab is poured. They are not embedded in the concrete. Yes, they may fail, but it is usually caused by a bad glue joint.

[graciegirl]

On the home we sold in Ohio, that we built and lived in for 23 years, our basement flooded three months before we put it on sale due to a really, really, unusually heavy rainy spring and an extremely heavy rain, it had never happened before, we had the basement floor ripped up and had a French drain installed, along with a life time guarantee that the basement was protected in writing from the contractor who installed the French drain.

Now that is something we had to disclose. That is the real estate law of Ohio, whether we sold it personally, or an MLS agent sold it who is married to the Speaker of the House of the United States sold it. That is Ohio law.

Florida laws on disclosure are different than Ohio laws on real estate disclosure. That still means that if you sell it yourself, if an MLS agent sells it or a Villages sales agent sells it, the law is the law and real estate disclosure laws must be followed.

If there was a big problem with water lines, I am pretty danged sure we would have heard it on this forum. We heard about unburied air conditioning lines on this forum. It is important that that much water is disclosed because of the danger of mold.

We watched this house being built, daily, and watched the other houses being built around us, it was very interesting and fun to watch. We watched a total of seven homes bring built for us and two for our chldren over the course of our lifetime. The last two were custom homes by one of Cincinnati's good builders. The home we built here was the most skillfully built of all and the builders were the most careful. It was amazing how they do it with crews who just do one thing and are expert at it. The finishing tile in the kitchen was put in and the builder had it removed and done again because he didn't like how it was done. We were at this site at least once a day and sometimes twice and three times and lived next door, behind and across the street from homes that we watched after we moved in.

But to the point of the thread. Disclosure of person killing themselves in the home. What is important to one is not important to another, but the law must be followed. You can't get away with anything in The Villages.

The truth will out.

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Water lines are buried before the slab is poured. They are not embedded in the concrete. Yes, they may fail, but it is usually caused by a bad glue joint.

I guess I'm too used to how they build radiant floor heating (in the concrete).

As to why it failed, it could be due to a multitude of reasons.

The point being, if it happened once so soon...could it happen again?

The buyer should at least be afforded the information, so that they can make the decision for themselves.

.

[kstew43]

Natural death such as heart attack or old age does not carry the same the same stigma as a homicide or suicide.

[bmarlo767]

Originally Posted by kstew43

Natural death such as heart attack or old age does not carry the same the same stigma as a homicide or suicide.

Does not make any difference They are just as dead either way.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by gocubsgo

Same holds true for haunted houses. If the present owner has had any type of paranormal activity in the house, he is supposed to inform the real estate agent about it.

Did you read gomoho's post? It says that deaths, homicides or suicides do not have to be disclosed.
Why would anything as silly as paranormal activity have to be disclosed?

[asianthree]

Originally Posted by gocubsgo

People need to be more open minded when it comes to hauntings. The house I moved from in Chicago was so haunted, I had paranormal investigators from around the country lined up to come in and do research. I didn't stay long enough to wait for the results!

THAT house was built in 1885 and was built in an area where there were over 400 John and Jane Doe's buried from a local mental asylum. The realtor never told us the history of the area and as a result, that house and several other houses in a 3 block area were haunted. I'll never forget what happened to us in that house but...on topic...the realtor never said a word.

Yup have them in KY too lots of field battles there

[gocubsgo]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

Did you read gomoho's post? It says that deaths, homicides or suicides do not have to be disclosed.
Why would anything as silly as paranormal activity have to be disclosed?

Silly?? Wow..Maybe you should have lived in my previous house for a week or so. You wouldn't have thought it was silly.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I agree Salybow.

In Europe, many homes are literally centuries old and many people have been born or died in those homes.

I think if we dwell on things we can cause fear to happen. Being born and dying is part of everyones life on earth.

Although I know this is a generalization, Americans characteristically have such a focus on death. I agree with Salybow (“A death or a suicide does not ‘put a hex’ on a home”) and Graciegirl (“Being born and dying is part of everyones life on earth”). Death is an integral part of life, yet the focus on disclosure seems to make it something abnormal or out of this world. You don’t find this attitude prevalent in much of the rest of the world. Why do we make such a thing about it?