BEST ANSWER
Yes to the fire part of it Barbara, if the owner/seller of the home is aware of it. The sellers, as stated in the other answers, are to truthfully disclose all aspects that affect the property. We, and most Realtors in AR, use the state approved home owners disclosure form, whether it is residential or land/lots. The seller can only disclose that which they have knowledge of. If there is not a disclosure form available on a certain property you might be interested, you can certainly require one with any offer you would make. The whole contract/offer can be contingent on the sellers completeing a disclosure form just like loan approval or whole house inspection. Concerning death in a house, no by law they are not required to disclose that. Many informed Realtors with knowledge of such, will ask the sellers to disclose this in some form or fashion because of the stigma attached to it and possible circumstances around any such death. I would though, be more worried about other physical aspects of the property, such as structure damage, water infiltration, and myriad of other things that can be listed. Hope this helps, and if you would like to know more, I have a good friend in the Blytheville area that be realy good help to you. Good luck and keep looking.
Thu Mar 26 2009, 07:37
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity