Sellers

Dear Mr. Azrael, One week after we bought our house we had a major roof leak. Since we had a roofing certification, we went back to the roofers for the repair and discovered that they were unlicensed (the sales contract stated the seller must hire a licensed roofer to do all repairs and certification). We also believe the sellers signed a false disclosure when they said they had no knowledge of leaks. The sellers refuse to go to mediation to resolve this matter. What are the laws regarding false disclosures, and can we sue them for the cost of repairs?

One of the many challenges in a housing slump: How do you figure out what's a fair price when the market keeps changing? Pat Hiban of the Pat Hiban Real Estate Group (with Keller Williams Select Realtors in Ellicott City, and try getting all that out in one breath) says his recommendation to sellers is - first off - to decide "whether you are a have-to seller or a want-to seller." That's not for pricing purposes, by the way: That is to suggest to the want-to folks that maybe they really don't want to sell.

The state has drafted the disclosure form that sellers, starting Jan. 1, will use to tell buyers about defects in their home.Under a law passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, all sellers must fill out a form or, as an alternative, sign a disclaimer that they are offering the property "as is."A preliminary version of the two documents has been approved by Maryland's Real Estate Commission. The commission will vote on the final form of the documents at its meeting Dec. 18."I think it's going to open the eyes for consumers to ask questions," said Elizabeth Beggs, the commission's executive director.

What defects should I expect the seller to fix?Few houses, even new ones, are free of defects. Disputes between buyers and sellers can arise over who's responsible for fixing defects. The answer isn't always clear.Defects fall into two categories: Those discovered before closing and those discovered after closing.The first thing to do if you find a defect is to review your purchase contract. Many contracts include a "seller warranty" clause, which states that the house systems (such as plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling)

NEW YORK -- Many traders who had hoped to profit by betting against stocks they thought were overvalued were forced to run for cover again this month as share prices continued to rise.That trend was evident in figures released Friday by the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange on the number of shares sold short and not yet covered in the month ended Feb. 14.Though those figures represent a tiny fraction of the shares listed on those exchanges, they are an important measure of the overall bearishness of traders.

The prospect was a doctor whose interest was sparked in the beautiful brick four-bedroom colonial for sale in the Dorsey Hall village of Columbia. He was interested, that is, until he went inside with his agent and encountered the owner's family.When the buyer entered, the family's three kids were sprawled out in the family room, the television blaring. Their mother was busily working in the kitchen, running the dishwasher. To add to the picture, the family's dog was meandering about."The prospect came away with the feeling that the house was noisy, cluttered and busy.

Washington -- If the new Congress is seriously looking to limit costly federal regulatory intrusions into ordinary citizens' lives, here's one the lawmakers can catch before it affects millions of home sellers per year: Proposed regulations requiring all sellers of houses built before 1978 -- roughly two-thirds of the nation's housing stock -- to give potential purchasers the equivalent of a written 10-day opt-out period before going to closing.There's more. Under the rules, if sellers fail to provide written disclosure of the potential buyer's new right to the 10-day period, they're subject to federal criminal penalties of up to one year in prison per violation, federal civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation, plus treble civil damages if a would-be buyer gets really angry and files suit.

An interview with Mary Axenfeld, coordinator of the Year 2000 Book Club. How did the club get started? Another woman and I - she had been in a book club, and she didn't like the books they were reading. I guess they were reading mostly classics. So we just decided to start our own club and read the books we wanted. We had decided that we wanted to read more of the best-sellers. What book are members reading this month? "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb. And the new Glenwood library was really good, and they got seven of them for us, so most of us could get them from the library.

On March 10, 2009, JOHN EDWARD SELLERS. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Monday after 8:30 A.M where the family will receive friends on Tuesday at 6 P.M. Funeral services will follow at 6:30 P.M.

NEW YORK -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is thinking about stripping big short-sellers of their anonymity.Sometime this summer, commission officials say, the SEC will seek public comment on a proposal that would force investors to disclose when they have a short position of 5 percent or more of any company's stock. The plan would work like the SEC's 13d filings, in which investors must disclose when they own 5 percent or more of a company's stock.Short-sellers, who bet that a stock will decline, borrow shares and immediately sell them.