July Flooding in Central Pennsylvania; Real Estate Property Disclosure

Recent rains have brought minor flooding to parts of Pennsylvania from Bedford to various points to the east.

Property damage is minor and lives have not been in danger. But this flooding still should be disclosed if you are selling a property that suffered from any flooding.

Sales are very slow now, but new homeowners are this week seeing their first heavy rains in the properties that they just purchased this Spring as the tax credit incentive expired. Some of those new homeowners are undoubtedly pulling their Sellers' Disclosure form out of their packets and reviewing the part that should have disclosed flooding. Some of them might even be calling their Realtors (or lawyers) to inquire about the possibility of pursuing their sellers for not disclosing that the property floods during heavy rain.

If you are selling property now, keep this scenario in the back of your head as you fill out the disclosure. The more you disclose, the less justification the buyer will have for suing you later on.

If you are a buyer, look closely at your prospective properties today (or at some point when the heavy rain is falling). Sales are slow and sellers are desperate. Sellers will lie and conceal in order to move a property and get out from under a mortgage that they can no longer afford.