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<font size="2" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;letter-spacing:.1pt">As originally enacted in 1994, RCW 64.06.040 required a seller to amend the seller disclosure statement if the seller became aware of additional
information which made any of the disclosures inaccurate. An amendment starts a new three-business-day rescission period. In the 2009 amendments, that requirement was amended to limit the duty to amend to situations in which
</span></font><font size="2" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;background:white">"the seller
</span></font><font size="2" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">((bec<s>omes aware</s>))<span style="background:white">
<u>learns from a source other than the buyer or others acting on the buyer's behalf such as an inspector</u> of additional information … which makes any of the disclosures made inaccurate</span>."<span style="letter-spacing:.1pt"> With that amendment, if the
buyer discovered the additional information after the three-business-day period expired but before closing, the seller was not obligated to amend the disclosure statement. For example, say the buyer discovers that the property is in an environmentally critical
area and the disclosure statement says it is not. Because the rescission period had expired, the buyer would not be able to use the disclosure statute to rescind. This seems strange to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></font></p>
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<font size="2" color="#313335" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#313335;letter-spacing:.1pt">I can see how in that case the buyer could rescind on a common law ground, preserved under RCW 64.06.050. Specifically,
the buyer could rescind based upon a mutual mistake about a material fact, or, if the seller knew of the ECA designation, unilateral mistake by the buyer and concealment by the seller. But I am having trouble understanding why the legislature amended the
statute so that the buyer could not use RCW 64.06 to rescind the contract. I did not find anything in the legislative history that addresses it. I would appreciate any insight anyone has into the reason for this amendment. I am hoping someone on this listserv
had a hand in drafting it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="4" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Rod Harmon</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="4" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;font-weight:bold"> </span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="4" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;font-weight:bold">RODNEY T. HARMON</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;font-weight:bold"> Attorney at Law</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> P.O. Box 1066</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> Bothell, WA 98041</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> Tel: (425) 402-7800</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> Fax: (425) 458-9096</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> </span></font><a href="http://www.rodharmon.com"><font size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">www.rodharmon.com</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="#1f497d" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"> </span></font><a href="mailto:rodharmon@msn.com"><font size="2" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">rodharmon@msn.com</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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