[dropcap character=”F” color=”gray”]In the ‘good ol’ days’ people may have initiated the sale with a handshake, but history shows that those friendly intentions often ended in bitter court disputes. For as long as real estate has been bought and sold in Oregon, there have been real estate lawsuits.
Well over a hundred years of real estate agency law and practice evolved to react to litigation, minimize risk, reduce fraud, and prevent and resolve conflicts. Your property is one of your most significant investments. Remember, whenever much money is at stake, fraud, temptation, and unethical compromise are nearby dangers. Which is why it’s of utmost importance to find yourself the best attorney possible in case anything goes awry.
A real estate agent’s main responsibility is to help reduce your risk, keep you well informed, and guide you through a proper purchase or sale.
Our greatest value to you is not when things go well, but when things go wrong or obstacles are faced, or when uncommon issues arise. [space10]
Protection from Lawsuits
Oregon is not a ‘buyer beware’ state. It is a full disclosure state. Sellers who do not disclose all that they know about their property risk a lawsuit for withholding material facts. This can result in financial loss and in some cases the nullification of the sale.
But we don’t want buyers to ever be put into that miserable situation. We will do everything we can to prevent such a later surprise. This means you the buyer must seek to know as much about the property before closing. While we are prohibited from performing your due-diligence, we will guide you in yours. We will also keep our trained eyes open for issues. A good inspector is indispensible and your curious and suspicious mind will also assist you in preempting issues that could later result in a lawsuit.
Your Loyalty, Our Faithfulness
In due time, we hope to make a trade with you. If you will commit to working loyally with us, we will commit to working faithfully with you. We have a lot to offer but in order to commit our time and resources completely, we need to know that you will make your purchase with one of us.
The selection of a real estate agent is important and personal. We are eager to be interviewed and happy to assist you freely. But when you are comfortable, let us know that we are ‘hired’ to be your agent.
Additional Resources
The Oregon Buyers Property Advisory is a tool produced by the Oregon Association of Realtors® (OAR). It is a comprehensive and informative guide for issues one should consider when purchasing. We can help you understand much of this, help you think through what is relevant, and assist you to perform thorough due-diligence.
The Oregon Real Estate Agency Disclosure Pamphlet is produced to comply with Real Estate Agency law. It explains the relationship between an agent/broker and the client. You have rights and can expect important affirmative duties from your agent. We have representation responsibilities to you in addition to providing you with excellent service. The Real Estate Agency (REA) is an agency of the State of Oregon charged with protecting consumers and policing agents. Much good information can be found on their web site.
Published 09/11/2017