Do you have to disclose someone recovered from Covid 19 when Selling

What if someone in a home had Covid 19 and now is recovered and is clear. Can that home be put up for sale? Would the seller have to disclose that fact? Let me share a story how it was not handled right killing that deal. The phone rang and it sounded like a war.

With uncertain times, comes uncertain answers. First it may depend on what the state law is. Here in NH on basic items, only defects in the home have to be disclosed. Having recovered from Covid is not one of them... There is a "how ever" though. The owner should be honest when asked. 

Here is the short story, the home owner listed with a friend of his wife. A newer agent anxious for her first sale. The sellers had covid and were now clear, so listed. The house needs work so there would not be any bidding wars here. It was too much work for a FHA or VA buyer and frankly would scare most buyers away.

They found a potential buyer. Mrs. Buyer was scared of Covid and asked if anyone in the house was or had been sick? She was told no. They made a low offer and being the only offer the seller accepted. It had a large list of contingencies. During the inspection the seller was there without a mask. The buyer with a mask was uneasy and during the conversation, the seller said they didnt need a mask as they already had covid and cant catch it again.

The buyer literally ran out of the house and proceeded to put herself in quarrantine fearing exposure. The sale fell through when the buyer said the inspection failed and she threatened to sue everyone.

THE GOOD PART is I was not the listing Listing or even Buyer agent, just a life long friend of Mr. Seller who knew he should have listed with me after telling me this story.

FAST FORWARD the listing agreement was cancelled and I was called in to pick up the pieces. Yes the home needed work, but was way under priced. I gave them an "as is" value that we could sell the home to a cash buyer where he would have to do nothing and could move when he wanted. One of them has been out of work and they were behind in their mortgage.

Then I have them another choice of what repairs they could complete and how much more they would make. He does not have any money for repairs. But he does have time. The third option listed how simply cleaning the home and getting rid of the mass amount of stuff, debris and lawn waste could boost the value. Time he had and he got it done.

IN SUMMARY they choose for me to seek out the best cash offers from my large network of buyers. They were shocked i got them nearly $70,000 more than they had listed with before. No one asked if they had Covid and I certainly would have answered.

THE BOTTOM LINE the seller was very happy i put a plan of action together and followed through. The sellers wife was embarrassed and at first tried to stay away from me. It was not personal, she tried to help a friend, but selling a house is BUSINESS and sellers should do what is best for them. That includes hiring THE BEST LISTING AGENT and not just a friend.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY is that in the end, the most important thing in Real Estate for me is provide GREAT SERVICE. I want to stand out from the crowd. My philosophy is simple. To provide more personal and professional service to guide my clients through each step of the selling and buying process.

All agents are not created equal and every consumer should take the time to hire the BEST not just the biggest agent. Let me show you there is a difference. Please Support locally owned and operated business.

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