Real Estate Sale Question

[Guest guest]

This is a little off topic but since many people move from sick

building, maybe not.

I have termites on a door of a shed. I've had them there before. It

is attached to the house but no evidence of them being in main part of

home. Shed is an add on that support a porch that was added to rear

of house. Used to be open space under roof, and then it was closed

off to be used as a shed. House has been in family since 1942 so I

know history of house.

I paid the big price for treatment of whole house foundation and long

warranty once before that cost a bundle. However some work on the

foundation (for water intrusion) broke the warranty, so now I'm out in

the cold again. I plan to put the house up for sale in a year

(wishful thinking but...), for no reason linked to mold or any of

this. House was passed down to me through family and it is too big

for me so never planned on keeping it. I just got into repairing alot

of thing due to this mold business and my health. Anyway, I called

someone out to discuss termites and they want 1,500.00 to start and a

long warranty I won't get benefit of so I was looking for a company to

do the work that has a shorter warranty period. Person said a long

warranty would be good for house sale since fact it had termites would

have to be revealed at sale. I said if I discuss a termite warranty

to prospective buyers they will just think there is a termite problem

soso it would be a negative. He said no it won't since I have to

reveal any problem I've had with the house for the last five years.

Therefore, they are going to be concerned anyway. I didn't know that

I had to reveal back to five year old problems. I'm not concerned

about mold since I have never gotten bad air tests on house except for

porch and porch needs renovating anyway and I may do it myself. Also

it's not too surprising a screened in porch would have mold. I had

visible aspergillus in basement where there was a foundation leak but

that has been repaired and air tests of basement were okay so no

problem there.

So now I have to figure out if I need a long warranty or not and have

to bite the big $$$ termite cost. What I wanted to ask people here

who have moved before, how does one find out what has to be revealed

in a real estate transaction as far as home defects? I know if you

know of a problem with house you must reveal it. However I thought I

would have to reveal current problems. I didn't know I may have to

reveal 'past' problems.

I feel I need to check on his statement since I've been lied to so

much by sales people and actually lawyers too, that I don't take

anyone's word for anything any more and figure I have to find out

myself these things but don't know where to look for this information.

Does anyone know where I would start to find this out. It is probably

different from state to state I would imagine.