A Minnesota residential real estate purchase agreement (“Contract for Sale and Purchase of Real Estate”) is a contract which commits a buyer to an offer to purchase real estate, according to specific terms agreed by the buyer and seller. Negotiated specifics include the purchase price, financing method, closing date, and more.
Do Sellers in Minnesota Have To Disclose Property Defects?
Minnesota does require real estate sellers to disclose any material defects with a property. In most cases, this is through a standardized disclosure form provided by the local realty agency, but any disclosure which provides the required information is valid.
By mutual agreement, it may be possible to waive the use of a standard form and handle required disclosures another way. However, the seller always has a duty to disclose all material defects that are not obvious on a casual inspection of the property, even if the buyer agrees to take the property “as-is.”
The basic duty to disclose cannot be waived, unless the sale falls under a recognized legal exemption. Minnesota exempts the following common transfers, among others, from the disclosure form requirement:
- Court-ordered sales and transfers
- Sales by foreclosure or other debt default
- Transfer as part of the execution of a will or estate
- Transfer to a purchaser who will not use the property for residential purposes
- Transfer to a spouse, parent, or child
- Transfers to or from a government entity
Required Seller Disclosures in Minnesota
Minnesota sellers of residential real estate must make the following disclosures, as appropriate, to meet legal requirements for a real estate purchase agreement:
- Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement: Discloses material defects with a property that are known to the seller at the time of sale, and details any potential issues and conditions that may affect the value of the property.
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosure: Any home constructed earlier than 1978 must come with a disclosure upon the transfer of the property which includes any information about the presence of lead on the premises, as well as educational materials that communicate the health risks associated with lead exposure.
Sources
- 1 Minn. Stat. § 513.55
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(a) Before signing an agreement to sell or transfer residential real property, the seller shall make a written disclosure to the prospective buyer. The disclosure must include all material facts of which the seller is aware that could adversely and significantly affect:
(1) an ordinary buyer’s use and enjoyment of the property; or
(2) any intended use of the property of which the seller is aware.
(b) The disclosure must be made in good faith and based upon the best of the seller’s knowledge at the time of the disclosure.
Source Link - 2 Minn. Stat. § 513.54
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The seller disclosure requirements in sections 513.52 to 513.60 do not apply to any of the following:
(1) real property that is not residential real property;
(2) a gratuitous transfer;
(3) a transfer pursuant to a court order;
(4) a transfer to a government or governmental agency;
(5) a transfer by foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure;
(6) a transfer to heirs or devisees of a decedent;
(7) a transfer from a cotenant to one or more other cotenants;
(8) a transfer made to a spouse, parent, grandparent, child, or grandchild of the seller;
(9) a transfer between spouses resulting from a decree of marriage dissolution or from a property settlement agreement incidental to that decree;
(10) a transfer of newly constructed residential property that has not been inhabited;
(11) an option to purchase a unit in a common interest community, until exercised;
(12) a transfer to a person who controls or is controlled by the grantor as those terms are defined with respect to a declarant under section 515B.1-103, clause (2);
(13) a transfer to a tenant who is in possession of the residential real property; or
(14) a transfer of special declarant rights under section 515B.3-104.
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