Just about to close on a house...and found out my next door neighbor is a sex offender.. (real estate, HOA)

[beeboah]

I have a wife and kids. I can't go for that. This is out in the country and I think it's too dangerous to leave my family alone during the day around that sex offender.

I also have prepaid legal to the extent of any conflict.

I heard that I may not be able to back out if I signed a Megan's Law disclaimer.

I know this is not a legal forum, but any thoughts?

[Lisa_from_Debary]

I feel for you...I couldn't live next to one.

We have had them move into my neighborhood before I lived here. An older couple posted the state put together flyer about this man until he moved away.

I am no lawyer or real estate agent but I thought disclosures like that had to be made BEFORE the finalization of the house being sold. I would speak to an attorney. I had heard that things like someone dying in a house had to be disclosed, sure this would qaulify...

[leavinFL]

how did you find out?
is there a website i can look at?
i'm also moving ot the area

hope it all works out for you

[beeboah]

http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/html/search.htm (broken link)

Thanks for your posts so far, reading and taking action.

[richmondpics]

Virginia has a sex offender registry database on the State Police website:

http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov/sor/index.htm (broken link)

addresses, photos, offenses, etc are included.

[Lisa_from_Debary]

Originally Posted by leavinFL

how did you find out?
is there a website i can look at?
i'm also moving ot the area

hope it all works out for you

Every state by law has to maintain a sex offender website...but keep in mind that they estimate that only 40% of the people who SHOULD be registered on these sites actually DO. Of course they also register and then move and don't notify authorities...like in the case of Jessica Lunsford...he had moved in with his sister and not changed his address so no one in the neighborhood was aware of his status...he took her from her own bed, raped her and buried her alive where she died. The Florida legal system is dealing with him now.

Its completely legal also to post what the person actually was found guilty of, some states even have pre-made flyers, however you can't accuse them of things they were not convicted of...people around here have posted flyers, handed them out etc. all in the hopes of keeping peoples children safe.

As good as the registry is...its not perfect. I noticed in my town that sex offenders were moving to this little nasty hotel...that was right next to a bus stop...no one noticed evidently. I notified the school that the kids were having to stand there right by this place with the sex offenders living there. Florida has made an attempt to narrow where these people can live by making laws about how far away they have to be from places where children congregate.

I use a site called www.familywatchdog.us. You can register your home address and it will send you updates if any move in or out of your neighborhood. It shows a map and the relative locations where offenders live and work rather then just giving an address. It will tell you how far away precisely they are. That way you can have a better idea then just a list of names and addresses.

[DavidS827]

If you are still within three days of having received your HOA docs (if you're in an HOA) then you can get out of your contract if there is something in the docs that you don't like. If not, and you already signed the Megan's Law Disclosure, then there isn't anything you can do without (potentially) getting sued.

[jensen beach gal]

Originally Posted by Lisa_from_Debary

Every state by law has to maintain a sex offender website...but keep in mind that they estimate that only 40% of the people who SHOULD be registered on these sites actually DO. Of course they also register and then move and don't notify authorities...like in the case of Jessica Lunsford...he had moved in with his sister and not changed his address so no one in the neighborhood was aware of his status...he took her from her own bed, raped her and buried her alive where she died. The Florida legal system is dealing with him now.

Its completely legal also to post what the person actually was found guilty of, some states even have pre-made flyers, however you can't accuse them of things they were not convicted of...people around here have posted flyers, handed them out etc. all in the hopes of keeping peoples children safe.

As good as the registry is...its not perfect. I noticed in my town that sex offenders were moving to this little nasty hotel...that was right next to a bus stop...no one noticed evidently. I notified the school that the kids were having to stand there right by this place with the sex offenders living there. Florida has made an attempt to narrow where these people can live by making laws about how far away they have to be from places where children congregate.

I use a site called www.familywatchdog.us. You can register your home address and it will send you updates if any move in or out of your neighborhood. It shows a map and the relative locations where offenders live and work rather then just giving an address. It will tell you how far away precisely they are. That way you can have a better idea then just a list of names and addresses.

Wow! Thank you for that website-that's unreal-good information!

[williamsburgfan]

you need to talk to your lawyer. I know you'd like concrete advise here, no one can give it. Your contract language will be the guiding factor - I hope you called your attorney first thing.

I know it is too late for this property, for all others in any future contract you can find this out before signing a purchase agreement. Due diligence on this is easy.

Do you know what the offense is for? Don't tell us, do try to find out. if it something like a 19 yr old boy having sex with his 17yr and 11 mo old girlfriend that might not be compelling to you. Not saying it is right, just know what the offense is for

I hope it works out for you.

[doon]

I am a lawyer in NJ. First, you need to talk to a lawyer wherever the house is. It sounds like you don't have one. In NJ, if a client came to me with this problem I would immediately cancel/breach the contract. In my experience, a court will not force a person to buy a house. They will inpose monetary damages. I would rather be out a few thousand dollars than living next door to a sex offender. NJ contract damages are the difference in the price of the house that you where going to pay, and the price of the house if it sells. If it sells for less, the non-breaching seller may get that amount in damages. But in the situation of a sex offender living next door, if the house sells for less it is because of a condition that the seller failed to disclosed to the breaching buyer. Again, this is not advice. You need to talk to a lawyer.