Buying a home in Washington
Despite rising home prices, buyers continue to flock to Washington — especially the greater Seattle area. Lucky for those who decide to buy in the evergreen state, Washington was one of the states that enacted new buyer protection laws in 1994. These laws were meant to combat the "buyer beware" tradition in real estate sales. They do this by mandating that sellers disclose any issues with the property to potential buyers. Some of the contents of the seller disclosure form in Washington State are:- Who owns the title to the property
- The source of water and whether any repairs to the system are needed
- Any structural issues, including whether there have been any leaks within the past five years
- Confirmation that all permits were obtained for any remodeling or conversion work, and that a final inspection was subsequently carried out
- Flooding
- Standing water
- Drainage problems
- Asbestos use
- Lead-based paints
- Contaminated soil or water