The PA Consumer Notice is a mandatory compliance document in the state of Pennsylvania. It reviews the four possible types of agency, and describes the responsibilities of an agent to you, the client.

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In the state of Pennsylvania, it is a legal requirement for sellers to disclose ALL known material defects associated with the listing. Luckily, the PA Association of Realtors have put together an extremely thorough list of possible items for you. It usually takes about an hour to complete, so settle in.

If your home was built before 1978, then this guy is also a requirement. It’s pretty basic, if you know of any lead paint, you have to say so. And provide any documents you have to show how you know. Easy, right?

If you’re selling, this is the contract that gets you on the MLS. You set the price here, go over listing restrictions, and disclose any otherwise unknown info to your agent. Don’t feel bad if you need to ask questions on this one!

If you’re buying and need an agent, the Buyer Agency Contract is how you lock yourself in. Lots has changed in the industry, so keep an eye out for updates to this one!

If you’re putting offers in, then the Buyer’s Financial Infomation form will accompany it. Essentially, it goes over your financials to show your strength as a Buyer, and serves as an affidavit. No shady business!

This is it, the big Kahunaburger. If you wanna move a house in this town, you’re gonna have to go through all 13 pages of this monster first. If you have questions on this one, I’d recommend consulting a pro. Wherever could you find one of those?…

AKA the Auction Addendum, when you attach this guy to your AOS it tells the Seller how high you’ll go to beat out other offers. Most sellers won’t take them, and instead insist on you bringing your “Best and Highest” final offer. But the times they are a changing, so maybe we’ll see more use out of this form in the future.

The Appraisal Contingency Addendum sets a minimum Appraisal Value for the property under contract. This could be used if the Price has been bid up to the point where it is questionable an Appraiser could justify it. It spells out what will occur after the appraisal comes back - does the Buyer pony up the extra dough, or is the sale a bust?

Formally called the “Repairs/Corrections Required by a Third-Party Addendum,” this attachment to the AOS allows a Buyer to partially or completely take responsibility for remediation items required by either a Municipality or a Lender. U&O repairs are usually on most Seller’s radar, but there may also be required repairs from the Lender’s Appraiser that are interfering with the ability of a Lender from servicing a mortgage for the Buyer.

This is it, our recommendation to every client out there to at the very least think about getting a home inspection. Consider yourself informed!

Again, if it was built before 1978, you’ll need to review this important government notice. Definitely look it over, you don’t want to wind up eating a bunch of paint chips like I did when I was a kid!

Does your basement have that signature funk that we all love to hate? Well this may be the infodoc for you! If there’s any concern about mold, here is where you’d start.