Why Did No One Disclose a Registered Sex Offender Lives a Few Homes Away from Us?
I received an E-mail from a client a few days ago who had changed jobs and E-Mail addresses while I had changed brokers and E-mail addresses. He had trouble finding me but through Facebook found my new E-Mail account. This is off the point of this blog but If you have not read Dan Edward Phillips recent blog titled “ Don’t Change Your E-Mail Address” I recommend that you should read it as it is excellent advice.
My client had referred me to what is his best friend for many years. My client had spent a significant amount of time convincing his BFF to move to the Houston area like he had 2 years earlier. The friend’s wife’s sister was a new real estate agent and they had used their relative to assist them with their purchase a home in an area that is not Katy (to remain nameless) and moved in earlier this year. The sister-in-law Realtor had worked for almost one year and had no deals at all. My client came to me for potential help as the other Realtor already had stated she had no clue. The new homeowners much to their chagrin had some how found about a registered sex offender living close by to them.
This is a difficult subject. A seller of real estate in the State of Texas does NOT have to disclose to a prospective buyer that a registered sex offenderresides in the neighborhood. The Code of Criminal Procedure in Texas provides that neither the owner of a single family residence nor the real estate agents have a duty to disclose that a nearby resident is a registered sex offender. I doubt if the Realtor had any knowledge about the sex offender living close by to the home in question.
I recommend to all my clients to do their own due diligence and research about any neighborhood they are considering to move to. This includes comparing school districts, checking crime rates, researching sex offenders living in the area, etc. I tell all of my clients to drive the neighborhoods at various times of the day and night, go to stores, gas stations and restaurants in the area and ask themselves the question of do they feel comfortable. Since reading many Active Rain blogs, I now also tell them to walk the neighborhood and ask questions of neighbors who live close to the home they are thinking of buying.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has a web site where a zip code is entered and a list registered sex offenders will be produced. All clients who want to do this research should. The site is found right here. Please use this site in good faith and not to send these folks hate mail.
I received an E-mail from a client a few days ago who had changed jobs and E-Mail addresses while I had changed brokers and E-mail addresses. He had trouble finding me but through Facebook found my new E-Mail account. This is off the point of this blog but If you have not read Dan Edward Phillips recent blog titled “ Don’t Change Your E-Mail Address” I recommend that you should read it as it is excellent advice.
My client had referred me to what is his best friend for many years. My client had spent a significant amount of time convincing his BFF to move to the Houston area like he had 2 years earlier. The friend’s wife’s sister was a new real estate agent and they had used their relative to assist them with their purchase a home in an area that is not Katy (to remain nameless) and moved in earlier this year. The sister-in-law Realtor had worked for almost one year and had no deals at all. My client came to me for potential help as the other Realtor already had stated she had no clue. The new homeowners much to their chagrin had some how found about a registered sex offender living close by to them.
This is a difficult subject. A seller of real estate in the State of Texas does NOT have to disclose to a prospective buyer that a registered sex offenderresides in the neighborhood. The Code of Criminal Procedure in Texas provides that neither the owner of a single family residence nor the real estate agents have a duty to disclose that a nearby resident is a registered sex offender. I doubt if the Realtor had any knowledge about the sex offender living close by to the home in question.
I recommend to all my clients to do their own due diligence and research about any neighborhood they are considering to move to. This includes comparing school districts, checking crime rates, researching sex offenders living in the area, etc. I tell all of my clients to drive the neighborhoods at various times of the day and night, go to stores, gas stations and restaurants in the area and ask themselves the question of do they feel comfortable. Since reading many Active Rain blogs, I now also tell them to walk the neighborhood and ask questions of neighbors who live close to the home they are thinking of buying.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has a web site where a zip code is entered and a list registered sex offenders will be produced. All clients who want to do this research should. The site is found right here. Please use this site in good faith and not to send these folks hate mail.
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