I’m presenting an offer today for a first time buyer looking to capitalize on the great interest rates, low prices, and the $8000 first time homebuyer tax credit. We’ve been looking primarily at short sales and bank owned property, but nothing out of the ordinary until this one. The home they want to buy is “stigmatized” by a relatively recent homicide-suicide.
Here’s why this matters to you – in Colorado this is NOT a reason for mandatory disclosure. In our case, the seller chose to disclose it anyway (although the buyer had already googled the address and found out), but disclosure was discretionary on the seller’s part. Unless something physically affects the property itself, it does not have to be disclosed. Thankfully, if you’re concerned about accidentally buying a stigmatized property, don’t worry. Avoiding this may be as simple as googling the address of any home you’re interested in before you write an offer.
