Buying a home in Warwick - extremely shady disclosure document

Submitted by Separate_Safe2779 t3_10kk6fi in RhodeIsland

Hello, Rhode Island! My family is relocating to your beautiful state from Colorado this spring, and our son is headed to URI in the fall. Couldn’t be more excited! We’re in the process of buying a home in Warwick, and are currently reviewing sellers’ disclosure forms. One of the homes we’re considering has “Less Stress Homes” listed as the seller, and the disclosure includes… well, basically no disclosure. Everything is either blank or marked “unknown.” I’ll assume this isn’t a common practice in RI? Shot in the dark, but does anybody know anything about this company? You seem to be a lovely group who know just about everything, so I thought I’d try.

Edit: People keep telling us New Englanders aren’t a friendly lot. I’m not buying it.

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newtoRI22 t1_j5r5ii9 wrote

This is more a question for your realtor, but if the entity selling the home has not lived in it the lack of info on a disclosure is not surprising. They can’t assure you one way or the other if their answers are correct and wouldn’t want to be sued for providing bad info.

Make sure that you exercise your right to inspect the home. A year ago people might have discouraged you from including the standard inspection contingency, but the market is certainly in a place now where you can inspect (I did so recently).

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5r7wz1 wrote

Good to know inspections aren’t being waived right now. Coming from Colorado, 100-year old homes are a whole new thing to consider!

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Puzzleheaded_Try1359 t1_j5riszc wrote

Be careful with Home inspectors as well. Do some digging to find one familiar with older homes. They often overlook/miss big problems and there is little to no recourse when they do. Had a client that bought a home and was told by the inspector water damage issues were caused by the current roof. New roofing costs were negotiated at closing and completed shortly after moving in. Long story short we had to jack his house off of the foundation to replace the structural supports because an addition was made without a permit and had old plumbing in the walls that failed. Termites did the rest

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DKdeeks t1_j5tguge wrote

Also make sure the home is not in a historical district, this can make simple upgrades very difficult.

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MadLove1348 t1_j5r9jfy wrote

Use patriot inspection - he leaves no stone unturned. Source- used him on two of our homes and brother did not use him and he wish he did

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degggendorf t1_j5s6igr wrote

Does he put the stones back once he's done though?

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njp9 t1_j5ricf5 wrote

Yep, he did our home inspection and didn't miss a thing.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j5r6pha wrote

Get an inspection and talk to your realtor but also seller disclosures I don’t think are a requirement in RI? Like the five page check this off kind of disclosure?

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5r7qvw wrote

Yep, exactly.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j5t5rfw wrote

And also checking unknown is also v common everywhere in NE esp around lead. I mean if they do actually know something and don’t disclose it’s on you the buyer to do you own research but “unknown” is a legitimate answer. Folks don’t look on purpose for some stuff. And realtors are obligated to disclose if their seller does tell them something as well. Is this a FSBO?

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gblaz1 t1_j5t7hu3 wrote

Disclosures from the seller are absolutely required by RI law (RIGL 5-20.8-2).

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j5t8em0 wrote

But use of that particular FORM (the several pages of checklist) is not. Disclosures go in MLs like they go anywhere (not just RI). And saying “unknown” is an answer to a disclosure. A seller not having that form when it’s on market is not unusual. That’s my point. Only some sellers (or agents who require their sellers) both in RI and MA as well use that kind of form. Lots of times it’s just disclosed in the disclosure box on the mls listing or in the PS amendments once they agree. But if it’s a fsbo I’d be even more wary - or a flipper acting as the agent.

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kelloggs8787 t1_j5r962v wrote

I'm in the middle of selling a home in RI now, and we marked "unknown" on most of the lines, because we didn't have the proper documentation to prove what we knew/ were aware of. The previous owner had a bathroom installed in the basement but never got permits for the work, so we couldn't even add that it had that bathroom on our listing.

I would ask your realtor about it, as they are way more privy to what's up with the seller. Could be nothing, but if your gut is saying that's weird, then it probably is.

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5ralk0 wrote

Oh wow! That’s actually really helpful insight. I have an email in to my realtor as well, but you know how local homeowners just know stuff sometimes!

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kelloggs8787 t1_j5rc02l wrote

I hope it all works out for you and that your realtor has more insight to give you peace of mind!

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strugglebus984 t1_j5rbpj4 wrote

We had contracts on a few houses before we were finally able to purchase. In my experience, this is pretty common in RI. The real estate market is quite a bit more loose here. Very different here than many other states Many of the homes here are older and the sellers really don’t know the info. Even if your purchase isn’t contingent on an inspection, you can still have an inspection done and that should answer most of your questions.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j5t5xk4 wrote

Yeah but if the inspection is info only then whatever you find you can’t back out of the deal. Make it contingent.

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5rc8ko wrote

Super helpful - thank you for the insight!

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strugglebus984 t1_j5rci79 wrote

There are other differences too. Where I moved from, the rules were strict and followed to the letter. In RI it is definitely not that way.

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owsleythehunter t1_j5tp5mh wrote

Having bought homes in Colorado (and sold) and Rhode Island in the last five years, they’re different beasts. The homes here can be significantly older and different setups that what you may be used to in CO. For example, our house in Thornton had the furnace in the attic, apparently that’s common out there, but was new to me.

Whatever you do, get an inspection and trust your gut!

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ProvBroker t1_j5uporl wrote

Get an inspection, don’t rely on sellers disclosures even if they provide them filled out in excruciating detail.

It’s not unusual at all for the disclosures to look very bare, especially if it’s an investor, or many kinds of distressed sales.

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savory_thing t1_j5sib0v wrote

Sounds like a house flipper, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but many of them do cut corners so you’ll need to be extra vigilant about the inspection.

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MyCakeAndEatingItToo t1_j5tb4uv wrote

Sounds like it might be a flipper, who never lived on the property. If it is, check that they got (and closed) any necessary permits. Call the town and request they email you any info they have on the property. (You may even be able to search the town website online yourself?)

It may also be worth asking your realtor to see if they can pull any old data on the MLS.

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SpruceLee-77 t1_j5tgztz wrote

I bought mine with no inspection and the disclosure was useless. They just claimed to know nothing that wasn't obvious. Got a better deal doing no inspection and cash though. Its a gamble, hasnt hurt me yet

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RIFCSUPERFAN t1_j5r8u1j wrote

Welcome to the ocean state from the rocky's to the beach ... where in warwick are you moving too? I assume you did all the neighborhood research!

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5radvx wrote

We did quite a bit of research and drove around a lot in October when we were in town. We have autistic people in my family, so the stuff that makes Warwick unattractive to some people (big box stores and chain restaurants) is actually great for us, and it’s very similar to the environment we live in now outside Denver. We like the area around Pilgrim High School in particular and are also considering a house near Conimicut Point. There’s not much inventory, unsurprisingly.

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derpbeluga t1_j5rarjs wrote

Pay attention to flood zones. If you are in a flood-zone you are required to have flood insurance. Also, I wouldn't want to deal with that stress.

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5rb8kb wrote

Thanks for that. We’re concerned about that for sure. I keep asking people whether they’d risk it for a great location, and I can’t get a consensus.

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TzarKazm t1_j5rcm10 wrote

To give you an idea on flood insurance, I was looking at a house that was in a flood zone, so I got a quote for flood insurance: $6,600 a year. Which is never going to go down, and might go up.

Also flood insurance only covers a max of $250,000 in damage. If the house were a total loss, I would be out a lot of money.

I decided that having flood insurance be 25% of my mortgage payment was unacceptable. I could buy a lot more house with that money.

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_j5vyvo3 wrote

It's wild. Also there's no telling if you buy adjacent that you won't get rezoned in a few years-- I know people in another state forced to get it nearly 30 years later when the last thing you'd expect is a cost of living hike at that age.

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derpbeluga t1_j5ribac wrote

Keep in mind that the trend is for sea levels to rise, and storms seem to be more frequent. That will impact the cost of your flood insurance, and the resale value of your house over time. Flood zone was a hard no for us when we moved here, even though your realtor might tell you otherwise. Your realtor only makes money if you buy something, and since there's very little actually on the market they're not going to tell you that half of that is a bad idea due to flood zone concerns. Also, coming from Colorado pay attention to mold. A metric shit-ton of houses we saw had some type of mold issue. In Colorado that is much less of a thing. We had a separate mold inspection, which was worth the few hundred dollars they charged.

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5rigp0 wrote

Great advice!

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Loveroffinerthings t1_j5rw87z wrote

I’m curious where in CO you’re from. On the DIA flight path, so like Aurora? I know when I lived in Boulder we would get an occasional plane over us, but as a former Coloradan I’m curious. Can you bring me some Cosmo’s spicy ranch?

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Separate_Safe2779 OP t1_j5rz5tv wrote

Hahaha! We’re in Thornton. Depending on wind direction, we actually get quite a bit of traffic.

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Loveroffinerthings t1_j5t9bqa wrote

Ahhhh yes I could see that. Warwick is like Thornton, lots of stores that will have everything you need. The airport is right in the city though, so it might be a bit closer than DIA planes on approach depending what part of Warwick you’re living.

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njp9 t1_j5rxfvz wrote

Use storm tools to get a sense of the risk. Not worth it unless you have plenty of money and are willing to deal with the Hassel of replacing all your stuff.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j5t624s wrote

I would not risk floods for a great location. Unless you’re only staying a few years and even then. Water levels are only going up.

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ynwp t1_j5u7o2e wrote

Search “2010 flood Rhode Island”. Lots of info on where major flooding happened that spring. Warwick got hammered.

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Mountain_Bill5743 t1_j5vyl0f wrote

Flood insurance is not something you want to deal with. Also, is this a long term move? All the more reason to anticipate long term costs of insurance and stress. Shorter term you're going to have a better idea of how bad your insurance rates and flood/hurricane risk will be.

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slow_show777 t1_j5rcm05 wrote

Pilgrim high school is definitely in the flight path for PVD airport so you should definitely take into consideration whether significant noise from planes overhead would be bothersome to you or your family members.

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Its_ScaryTerry_Bitch t1_j5sbb7n wrote

Just closed on a home in Warwick last week, and I can confirm that our disclosure was not like the one you described. Ours had plenty of info.

I don't know enough about various selling companies, so I'm not sure if your experience is fairly common. All I can say is that it is different than my recent experience.

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W0W0LF0L t1_j5rpn4v wrote

Been a realtor in RI over the past decade, this is not very uncommon. The seller likely did not live in this property considering it sounds like a flip by the title of the seller’s company. Nothing to be alarmed about. You have a 10 day inspection period, so just be thorough and your realtor will take care of the rest. Reddit comment threads are always filled with fear porn, I’ll never understand why people come to Reddit for advice.

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