Inspections crucial when buying a new home

Dale Emch

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Sometimes people fall in love so much with a home on the market that they fail to get an inspection or ask the sellers crucial questions.

Dale Emch examines the requirements for disclosing problems in a real estate transaction in this week's Toledo Blade column, Legal Briefs. The quick version is that barring some contractual obligation, sellers usually only have to disclose problems they actually knew existed. And, in some cases, those disclosures don't have to be made if the problem was obvious or there was an opportunity for a reasonable inspection.

The lesson is to always get a home inspection and if you have any concerns about potential flaws, see if you can insert language into the purchase agreement that protects you if defects are discovered after you close.

Dale's column also explored the controversial red-light cameras that Toledo and other jurisdictions are using to catch traffic offenders even when an officer isn't present.