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Is it Time to Update the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form?

By
Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker West Shell

If you buy or sell a property in the State of Ohio, the Residential Property Disclosure Form is mandatory

The 4 page form requires seller disclosure about a myriad of items. Buyers need to carefully review and sign the form as part of the purchase process. (Click here for detailed information) It is a win/win for both buyers and sellers. However this morning, as I ran from one end of the house to the other trying to get reception on my crackerberry (somebody moved my signal!) it dawned on me- what if you purchased a home and your cell phone didn't work. Can you imagine the horror of moving into your new home or condo - about which the property disclosure and home inspection stated everything was functioning-only to miss a phone call from the moving van because your cell phone only works facing out the 2nd floor window of the baby's nursery? This could be a problem for people who no longer install hard wired phones.

So now in our PC (politically correct) environment, I think cell phone/crackerberry email reception capabilities should added to the disclosure form.

But why stop there? In the past I have had clients who carried a leveler and checked every room for "tilt". One that kicked the outside of the foundation on all 4 corners. (Never did figure out what the intended result of this test). These potential problems would have been reflected in the disclosure or an inspection report. But there are "things" that seem important to the new owners that are not disclosed anywhere. So I emailed several past clients and coworkers asking for suggestions about updating the form and was surprised by the volume of return mail. Listed below are just some of the items on their wish list for the updated residential property disclosure form:
  • What day is trash pick-up
  • Trash day and recycling on same day
  • Names of good baby sitters
  • Neighborhood lawn cutting service
  • Which neighbor can I trust with a spare key
  • Handyman
  • How are neighborhood block parties handled
  • Names of responsible kids for pet walking
  • Direct TV or cable

As you can see there are a lot of things that would enhance the real estate experience -so why not inform the buyers about all the things they want to know!

If you have additional critical items that our lawmakers should consider adding to State of Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form- please add your comments @thCincyBlog

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