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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Travis,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Are you saying we put a clause in the P & S that “disclaims” (Buyers cannot rely on) all of the statements in the form 17 and that Buyers must do their own investigation (including survey) and that they purchase this house “as-is, with all faults”? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jeff<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>W. Jeff Davis<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black'>BELL & DAVIS PLLC</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black'><br>P.O. Box 510<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black'>720 E. Washington Street, Suite 105<br>Sequim WA 98382<br>Phone: (360) 683.1129 <br>Fax: (360) 683.1258 <br>email: </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:jeff@bellanddavispllc.com">jeff@bellanddavispllc.com</a><span style='color:black'><br></span></span><a href="http://www.bellanddavispllc.com/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:blue'>www.bellanddavispllc.com</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black'><br> <br>The information contained in this e-mail message may be privileged, confidential, and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, or copying is strictly prohibited. If you think that you have received this e-mail message in error, please e-mail the sender at </span><a href="mailto:info@bellanddavispllc.com"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:blue'>info@bellanddavispllc.com</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black'> or call 360.683.1129.</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Travis S. Thornton<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 12, 2022 2:24 PM<br><b>To:</b> wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBARP] HR 1951--Amendment to Seller Disclosure Statement<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This is crazy. I only do commercial transactions, and was opposed to the expansion of these disclosure requirements to commercial property 10 years or so ago.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It is generally accepted that commercial buyers waive receipt of the disclosures to the extent legally permissible, but per 64.06.010(7), a buyer may not waive receipt of the “Environmental” section if the answer to any of those questions is yes. Under Section 4 of this bill, a seller is now liable for any misstatement, and can’t say “I don’t know” and the disclosure is not limited to actual knowledge. The seller is not liable for a wrong answer only if it relied on a professional opinion on the issue and the professional got it wrong. And the professionals don’t definitively say, for example, “there are no haz mats”. They only say the records they reviewed and the investigations they performed did not reveal the presence of haz mats above certain levels. So how does a seller definitively say “No” when the consultant won’t even say it? A clean Phase I does not definitively mean there are no “substances, materials, or products in or on the property that may be environmental concerns, such as asbestos, formaldehyde, radon gas, lead-based paint, fuel or chemical storage tanks, or contaminated soil or water.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So now, if a seller really doesn’t know whether there are any hazardous materials in the soil, or a wet area might be classified as a wetland, or there is water or other environmental damage, or now pest-caused damage per this bill, that hasn’t revealed itself, and the seller checks “no” when it is later determined that the answer is “yes”, the seller would be liable for damages unless the seller hires professionals to investigate all of these points prior to sale, and it may be liable even then. It shifts tens of thousands of dollars in due diligence investigation costs to the seller, and the seller could still potentially have liability for giving what ultimately turns out to be a wrong “No” answer.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It seems to me that won’t actually happen if this bill passes, but rather “Yes” will become the new “Don’t know”, and sellers will say “Yes” to all the enviro questions with a provision in the PSA essentially saying “I said ‘yes’ but I really don’t actually know, and you need to rely on your own investigations,” and this disclosure requirement will continue to be as pointless in the context of commercial transactions as it has always been. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-variant:small-caps'>Travis S. Thornton</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> | <i><span style='font-variant:small-caps'>Attorney</span></i> <br><b><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:maroon'>SSL</span><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:black'> </span><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:#FF9900'>LAW</span><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:#FFCC00'> </span><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:navy'>FIRM</span><span style='font-variant:small-caps;color:black'> LLP </span></b>| Direct: 206.848.6756<span style='color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:gray'>This email and any attachments may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. Legal Advice Disclaimer: You should recognize that responses provided by this e-mail means are akin to ordinary telephone or face-to-face conversations and do not reflect the level of factual or legal inquiry or analysis which would be applied in the case of a formal legal opinion. A formal opinion could reach a different result.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Catherine Clark<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 12, 2022 12:54 PM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:wsbarp@LISTS.WSBARPPT.COM">wsbarp@LISTS.WSBARPPT.COM</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] HR 1951--Amendment to Seller Disclosure Statement<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>All:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Have you seen this bill? It is currently in committee.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>It proposes significant changes to the Seller’s Disclosure Statement (as currently exists in RCW 64.06).<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thoughts?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif'>Catherine “Cat” Clark<br>Law Office of Catherine C. Clark PLLC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif;color:#1F3864'>110 Prefontaine Place South, Ste. 304<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif;color:#1F3864'>Seattle, WA 98104</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif'>Phone: (206) 838-2528<br>Cell: (206) 409-8938<br>Email: <a href="mailto:cat@loccc.com">cat@loccc.com</a></span><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Copperplate Gothic Light",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>NOTICE: The information contained in this electronic information transmission is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by telephone at (206) 838-2528. Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>