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Posted Feb 7th, 2012
what if my house was to burn down while i was in contract to sell it



Legal Topic Area: Real Estate in NY

I hope you have insurance to repair or replace the house in the event there is a fire loss. Depending on where you are in the process of contracting with the buyer, the buyer may have a contract interest in such insurance proceeds. If you have no insurance and there is a loss, and if the buyer has suffered a loss because of the absence of insurance, you may have a lawsuit by the buyer to contend with. (The purchaser of real estate will usually have significant expenses in preparing for the closing -- such as the purchase of an appraisal, a survey, title services, etc - and even the payment to the prospective lender of servicing fees. The process can be quite expensive.)


Answered on Feb 7th, 2012 at 6:47pm