The question comes up more often than most sellers expect: If someone died in the house, does the law require you to tell the buyer? In Virginia, the answer depends entirely on how the person died. **Violent or Criminal Deaths Trigger Mandatory Disclosure** Under Virginia Code § 55.1-703, any death that occurs as the result of a felony — including murder, manslaughter, or a violent suicide — transforms the property into what the industry calls a “psychologically impacted” or stigmatized property. State law classifies these events as material facts that can reasonably affect a buyer’s decision or the home’s value. Sellers and their agents are required to disclose them proactively, even if the buyer never asks. **Natural Deaths and Non-Violent Accidents Are Treated Differently** Deaths from illness, old age, or non-criminal accidents (such as a fall or medical emergency) do not fall under the mandatory-disclosure umbrella in Virginia. Sellers have no legal duty to volunteer the information unless the buyer specifically inquires. Once the question is asked, however, truthful disclosure is required; evasion or misrepresentation can expose the seller to civil liability. **State-by-State Variation Remains Significant** Virginia is one of roughly half the states that do not require disclosure of non-violent deaths. Jurisdictions such as California, Alaska, and South Dakota impose broader “death disclosure” rules, while others align with Virginia’s narrower approach. For a comprehensive 50-state chart on death-disclosure requirements, the National Association of Realtors maintains an updated reference at nar.realtor/stigmatized-property-laws (last revised October 2025). Real estate attorneys recommend that sellers document any disclosure conversations in writing and consult counsel when the circumstances fall into a gray area. As one Richmond broker put it: “Most buyers just want honesty. The ones who sue are usually the ones who feel blindsided.”

Before you say yes to that “cash offer” that comes in the mail to buy your house at a discount, make sure the person making the offer is doing it legally. Some offers could be illegal—especially if the buyer is planning to sell your contract to someone else. What we’re talking about is called wholesaling. Here’s how it works: A wholesaler puts a property under contract at a discounted price—usually 60% to 70% of its fully renovated value. For example, if a townhouse is worth $500,000 once fixed up, the wholesaler might secure a contract at $300,000. They then find an actual investor or flipper to buy the property, not for $300,000, but for $350,000. The $50,000 difference—called the wholesale fee—is the wholesaler’s profit. Wholesaling itself isn’t illegal. But states are increasingly requiring wholesalers to be licensed. In Virginia, for example, anyone dealing in real estate contracts more than twice in a 12-month period must have a broker license. Getting a broker license isn’t simple: - You must complete 60 hours of classroom education. - Pass the licensing exam. - Align with a licensed broker (like me—I have over 250 agents in my brokerage). - Demonstrate active engagement in real estate for 36 of the last 48 months, verified by a broker. In other words, you can’t just run down to Richmond and pick up a license. You need real experience. This stricter regulation is disrupting the wholesale market and may slow some cash offers, but it also ensures that transactions are legal and legitimate. If someone is offering you cash for your home, that’s fine—but make sure they’re licensed and doing it legally. ** Have you ever thought of wholesaling? Would you like to see a video series on how to find houses off market for wholesaling?

The market’s slowed down a bit — but smart sellers don’t just sell their house, they sell the deal 💰🏡. In this video, Anthony Carr breaks down creative ways sellers in Northern Virginia and the DC area can make their listings stand out without simply cutting the price. From covering closing costs and buying down interest rates to offering home warranties, HOA coverage, and even moving or vacation packages — learn how to make your home irresistible to today’s cautious buyers. In today’s slower real estate market across Northern Virginia & the DC area, dropping your price isn’t always the best move. Instead, discover how to make your listing more attractive with smart incentives that buyers love: ✨ Offer closing cost help or interest rate buy-downs (points) 🔧 Include a home warranty for peace of mind 💼 Pay transfer taxes or HOA fees to sweeten the deal 🚚 Cover moving costs — or even throw in a vacation package 🏖️ 🍳 Upgrade with a new appliance package buyers can pick out

This is for the NVAR Listing Agreement Addendum called the Optional Buyers Broker Compensation form. WATCH THE VIDEO AS YOU READ THIS ARTICLE! IT'S A TRANSCRIPT. Please explain the two choices on the compensation this one keeps on coming up. So before we get into the two options on the listing addendum, I want to go back to the listing agreement on paragraph seven, optional seller paid buyers broker compensation. Alright, so you have two boxes. The seller authorizes or does not authorize the broker to disclose to prospective buyers and brokers representing buyers of what? What am I disclosing? What are you authorizing me of? The seller's willingness. To negotiate with buyer regarding seller's payment of buyer's broker compensation. So it starts here. If they check, yes, authorize, then you go to the um, the addendum and it says, you got two boxes here, and this is where the confusion comes in. Which one do I check? You check one. Or both. If you've checked, authorized on the listing agreement, then you're at least gonna check one. The seller is willing to pay buyers broker compensation up to, and you put in how much that's going to be. Now, are you then authorized to disclose and market that amount to buyers and buyer agents? That would be the second button. So if you don't check the second button, you do. You can say he's willing to pay. She's willing to pay, but you cannot disclose how much. The second box is what's required for you to disclose, Hey, it's, you know, like, you know, it is 25 bananas, or whatever it is. That's how you are able to get permission to disclose how much it is. I'm seeing about six in one hand, half a dozen, the other on this being filled out by sellers. In practice, sellers are choosing both ways - to authorize to let buyer agents know they will CONSIDER paying compensation, and the majority are NOT placing in the second box, how much that compensation is - so it's up to the buyer and their agent to insert it on the front page of the contract and let the negotiation begin!