Selling a House with Unpermitted Work in Scranton PA?

Our company is the premier cash home buyer in Scranton PA and surrounding areas.

We have a long history of experience in home investing. We offer the following advantages when selling to us.

1. You sell quick
2. You sell for cash
3. You sell “AS IS”
4. No extra expenses
5. No endless showings
6. No waiting months for a buyer

You have several options to sell your house with unpermitted work.

The Easy Way:

1. Contact us, we come to visit the house in Scranton and make a cash offer.
2. If you agree to the offer, we’ll sign a contract.
3. We open escrow to handle the paperwork and money transfer.
4. We both sign closing documents. Escrow will then turn over your cash. We’ll even pay your closing costs, and you can leave any unwanted items in the house!

The Hard Way:

1. You search for a real estate agent that will list your property with unpermitted work. Not all agents will list a house without getting the work permitted.
2. You sign the listing agreement and complete the real estate property disclosure form.
3. Your agent markets the house to the public. This may include multiple open houses and numerous showings.
4. You and your agent will vet offers and select one that meets your terms and price.
5. You open your house to home inspectors and contractors as your prospective buyers examine your house to locate damages and determine any problems with the unpermitted work.
6. Buyers may ask to renegotiate the price after the inspections.
7. The buyers’ lender then has the home appraised. This figure must match the price the buyers have offered for your house. If it doesn’t, you’ll need additional appraisers or you’ll need to reduce your price.
8. Your sellers will obtain hazard insurance coverage. The insurer may ask about the unpermitted work listed on the property disclosure.
9. Buyers and sellers sign closing documents. You’ll receive a closing accounting that itemizes your real estate agent’s commissions and your closing costs.

Sellers of any residential home in Scranton PA must complete a property disclosure.

That disclosure requires the homeowner to list any known material property defects that aren’t visible. If you don’t disclose, you could be fined or face legal action and be required to pay damages.

Known material defects are damages or problems that you know about or have experienced while living in the house.

These might include a leaky roof, foundation problem, or any unpermitted alterations or work on the property.

When a seller didn't disclose unpermitted work, the consequences depend on when the buyer discovers that omission.

Before escrow closes: If a buyer discovers unpermitted work not disclosed by the seller while in escrow, they can cancel the sale and have their earnest money returned.

They might also sue for damages if they’ve had monetary loss as a result of the failure to close the sale.

After Closing: Buyers discovering a seller’s failure to disclose unpermitted work after closing can also result in a lawsuit.

Selling a house with a finished basement without a permit, for example, and failing to disclose that remodeling, may result in a lawsuit if the foundation leaks due to failure to follow building codes.

The new owners could also be cited for the basement by city inspectors at the house when doing inspections for other work on the house.

Years Later: If the lack of permits creates a problem for your buyers years after the sale closes, they could sue you for failing to disclose the unpermitted work.

The formal statute of limitations in Scranton PA is four years, but this date can begin at the time the problem is discovered – not the time of the home sale.

Your buyers might discover the unpermitted work when they attempt to resell the home, and that prospective buyer hires a home inspector.

Your failure to disclose could put you in court for potential damages if your buyers have problems selling the house as a result of your unpermitted work.