Is a real estate seller obligated to disclose property defects to a buyer?
(7/23/08) While a real estate broker has an affirmative obligation to disclose "known material defects" in a property under 254 CMR 3 (13) (c) (1) and MGL c.112, s.87AAA3/4(c), a seller's only affirmative obligation is to disclose the presence of lead paint under c.111, s.197A. That does not mean that a seller can misrepresent facts to a buyer. If a buyer relies on a seller's misrepresentation of facts, even if the seller did not know his statement to be false, the seller may be liable to the buyer. See Zimmerman v. Kent, 31 Mass.App.Ct. 72 (1991). Failure to alert a buyer to conditions, however, is not misrepresentation. As the Appeals Court stated in Greenery Rehabilitation Group v. Antaramian, 36 Mass.App.Ct. 73 (1994), concealment in "the simple sense of failure to reveal, with nothing to show any peculiar duty to speak," is not the same as misrepresentation. Finally, c.93, s.114 specifically directs that neither seller nor broker has an obligation to tell a buyer about a "psychologically impacted" property.
http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/faqrea....html#disclose
Т.е. в кратце - чем больше покупатель задаёт вопросов тем лучше для него. Продавец тогда или обязан раскрыть дефект(ы) или если ответил уклончиво или мисрепрезентед факты то покупатель может отсудить свой ущерб. Но это у нас.
Выделеное - т.е. если вернуца к моему примеру с крышей продавец может просто пересказывал что ему сказал его продавец 2 года назад и сам мог быть 100% уверен что крыша 5и летняя. Но even if the seller did not know his statement to be false, the seller may be liable to the buyer :(