Good legal article on due diligence in real estate

Good legal article on Due Diligence in Real Estate

Submitted By Rahul Jaryal
Bharti Vidyapeeth New Law College,

Pune

Purchasing and owning real estate is always linked with high risk and always requires utmost care — whether it’s a single family home that you’ll occupy or an apartment building for income. You’ll hear experts say to make sure to “do your due diligence” when buying property, what does that actually mean? What is due diligence?
The truth is, there isn’t an Easy Button for doing your due diligence. It’s really a time-consuming process, and few people have any idea what to do. So here is what it means and some of the steps you should consider and perform.
Do research !
Due diligence means taking caution, performing calculations, reviewing documents, procuring insurance, walking the property, etc. — essentially doing your homework for the property before you actually make the purchase. If there are too many issues with the property — and that means too much potential risk and cost — then you can cancel your purchase agreement and look for a better property.
A seller can sell only what he possesses. Therefore if a seller has proper and valid title, on purchase you will get valid title. If the seller's title is defective, you will get only defective title. The simple reasoning is that he can sell what he has, and nothing more.
Investigation of Title