In Warwick, roughly 48% of recent home sales closed above the asking price, even as the median sale price dipped about 4.2% over the past year to around $479,700 (based on 25 sales over the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, so treat the trend as directional). Buyers willing to bid over list price expect a clear picture of what they're buying. New York's Property Condition Disclosure Statement is the document they use to set those expectations.
Key takeaway
If you sell a home in Warwick, plan to hand the buyer a completed New York Property Condition Disclosure Statement before they sign a contract. Paying a closing credit instead is no longer a legal option. Gather your water, septic, flood, and permit records first, since those are the answers buyers weigh most during negotiations. The only way around the form is a statutory exemption such as an estate or foreclosure sale, not an as-is listing.
Who this guide is for
You're preparing to sell a home in Warwick and need to know what New York requires you to disclose, when it's due, and which records to pull before you list.
How New York seller disclosure rules apply in Warwick
Under New York Real Property Law Article 14, every seller of residential real property under a purchase contract must complete and sign a Property Condition Disclosure Statement. The form records the seller's actual knowledge about the home's condition, covering everything from the roof to the mechanical systems. This guide provides general information and is not legal advice.
When New York requires a seller disclosure
The requirement applies to most one-to-four-family home sales in the state. "Unknown" is a legal answer on the form. A document full of unknown boxes, though, gives a buyer a reason to discount their offer or dig harder during their inspection.
The end of the closing credit option
For years, many New York sellers skipped the form and gave buyers a $500 closing credit instead. A 2023 amendment to Real Property Law §465 repealed that provision, so the form is now required for non-exempt sales. Advice from neighbors who sold under the old rules, or older online guides, may still assume the credit is available. It isn't.
Timing for delivering the form
You must deliver the completed form to the buyer or their agent before they sign a binding contract of sale. In practice, finish it before the listing goes live rather than drafting it hastily once an offer arrives.
You may later learn something that makes a previous answer materially wrong. If so, you must give the buyer a revised statement as soon as practicable. That duty ends once title transfers or the buyer moves in, whichever comes first.
Questions on the state property condition form
The current official New York Department of State form (DOS-1614-f, dated April 2025 and effective July 2025) covers general information, environmental hazards, structural conditions, and mechanical systems. Certain sections require specific local records.
You don't need to hire an inspector to fill it out. The form states that it is not a warranty of any kind by the seller or the seller's agent. It is also not a substitute for the buyer's own home, pest, radon, or other inspections. You do need to answer accurately based on your current knowledge of the property.
Water supply and private wells
The form asks about the water source and any known water-quality or quantity problems. If your home relies on a private well rather than municipal water, you'll need to disclose its condition.
Once you test the well and get a bad result, you know it and must disclose it. Testing early gives you time to treat a problem before a buyer's inspector finds it.
Septic systems
You'll answer whether the property is on public sewer or a private system, and give its age, service history, and any known problems. If you don't have the paperwork, the honest answer is "unknown." Buyers in New York commonly order their own septic inspection anyway.
Flood history and flood insurance
The form now asks whether you've ever filed a flood insurance claim or received federal disaster aid for the property. It also asks for your FEMA flood zone and flood insurance details. Flood zones vary across Warwick's lakes and creeks, so look up your specific parcel by address on FEMA's Map Service Center rather than assuming a town-wide zone.
Past claims and federal assistance leave a paper trail. A "no" you can't support is riskier than an accurate "yes" with context.
Oil tanks and environmental hazards
The environmental questions cover fuel storage tanks above or below ground, radon testing, and other known hazards. An old buried tank from a previous heating system can be invisible to you but obvious to a buyer's inspector. Check your purchase records and ask your heating contractor for any tank history.
Permits, structures, and roofs
Sellers are asked about the foundation, roof, water intrusion, and whether improvements had permits and certificates of occupancy. The Town of Warwick Building Department issues these certificates, and no building can be legally occupied without one.
A finished basement, deck, or addition without a closed permit can surface in the buyer's municipal search after you've signed the contract. That's when it costs the most to fix.
Additional disclosures for local property types
Beyond the state form, federal law and New York's agricultural district law require other notices, depending on your home's age and where your parcel sits. New York also specifies what you don't have to disclose.
Lead-based paint for homes built before 1978
If your house was built before 1978, the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires a separate disclosure. Before the buyer signs, you must:
disclose known lead paint and hazards
provide any available records or reports
give the buyer an EPA-approved pamphlet
Buyers get a 10-day window to test for lead before they're bound by the contract. The exceptions are when both parties agree in writing on a different period, or when the buyer waives the window in writing. That can add a contingency to an otherwise clean offer.
Agricultural district notice
The Town of Warwick is covered by Orange County's certified Agricultural Districts. If your parcel lies partly or wholly in a district, you must give the buyer a disclosure notice when a purchase contract is presented. The notice states that:
the property is in an agricultural district
farming activities, which can bring noise, dust, and odors, occur there
this may affect access to water and sewer service
the buyer should contact the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets for more information
Both you and the buyer must sign it before the sale closes.
Farm, orchard, and horse properties are the obvious cases. The notice also applies when your own parcel isn't actively farmed, because district boundaries decide it, not your land use.
Psychological impacts you can omit
Under Real Property Law 443-a, some facts are not a material defect that must be disclosed. They include that a property is or was suspected to be the site of a homicide, suicide, accidental death, or felony crime. They also include that an occupant had an illness unlikely to spread through occupancy. No claim can be brought against a seller or their agent for leaving these out, and the statute preempts local laws.
This doesn't permit false statements. If a buyer asks a direct written question, ask your attorney how to respond.
Exemptions from the state disclosure requirement
Marketing a home "as-is" does not create an exemption from the state disclosure form. Only the 14 categories in Real Property Law 463 let a seller skip it. They mostly cover sales where the seller hasn't lived in the home or the transfer is a legal process. If your sale doesn't fit one, the form applies.
Estates and foreclosures
These transfers are exempt from the state form:
court-ordered transfers during the administration of an estate
transfers by a fiduciary administering an estate or trust
foreclosure-related sales
The state exemption doesn't touch federal lead-paint rules. A pre-1978 estate sale still needs the federal lead disclosure unless a specific federal exemption applies.
Family and co-owner transfers
Transfers between co-owners, or to a spouse or lineal relative, are generally exempt. If the new owner later sells to an outside buyer, that sale is not exempt and needs the full form.
New construction and condo units
Transfers of newly constructed residential property that has never been inhabited are exempt. The statute has no separate exemption for condominium or cooperative transfers. Condo and co-op buyers also review association documents closely, so ask the board or managing agent which documents buyers will request.
Steps to prepare your records before listing
If your sale isn't one of the exempt types above, work through these steps before you set a list date. If you'd like help lining up records before listing, the Caplicki Home Team can walk through the sequence with you.
Step 1: Pull permits and certificates of occupancy
Request the property's permit history and certificates of occupancy from the Town of Warwick Building Department. This lets you answer the improvements questions accurately and close any open permits. Closing an old permit can require an inspection, and inspections take time to schedule.
Step 2: Gather well, septic, and tank records
Collect any water tests, septic pumping or repair invoices, and fuel tank removal paperwork. Ask the Orange County Department of Health whether it holds septic or well records for your address. Missing paperwork doesn't change what you know: if you remember a repair, disclose it even without the invoice.
Step 3: Check your flood zone and insurance history
Run the FEMA parcel lookup described above. Ask your homeowners insurer for the property's claims history, including any water or flood claims, so your answers match the record. You may not know about a claim filed by a previous owner. Answer from your own knowledge and say exactly that.
Step 4: Complete the form and consult an attorney
The form records the seller's own knowledge, so the seller fills it in. In New York, a real estate attorney typically reviews the completed document before it goes to the buyer. Your listing agent can explain the questions but cannot answer them for you. Guessing "no" to keep the form clean is the riskiest choice on the page.
Step 5: Deliver before contract and update if needed
Have the signed form ready as soon as buyers are writing offers. A storm, leak, or failed system after contract signing may require the revised statement described above, which can reopen negotiations.
Consequences of skipping or failing to disclose
The median time on market here is around 42 days (based on 25 sales over 90 days). A deal that unravels late costs the seller the weeks it took to find that buyer.
Legal liability for actual damages
Under Real Property Law 465, a seller who provides or fails to provide the statement is liable only for a willful failure to meet the requirements of Article 14. For that failure, the seller is liable for the buyer's actual damages, in addition to any other existing equitable or statutory remedy. The statute also preserves other legal causes of action, and knowingly false answers can carry separate claims.
Renegotiation at the home inspection
A buyer who bid over asking may find an undisclosed issue at inspection and ask for a credit, a repair, or a way out. With prices softening slightly, buyers have more appetite to renegotiate. Relisting after a failed deal restarts your days on the market, and later buyers will ask why the first one walked away.
At a glance
Median sale price, all homes: $479,772, down 4.2% year over year (90 days ending 2026-09-30; based on 25 sales, so treat as directional)
Median sale price, single family: $517,294, down 5.1% year over year (90 days ending 2026-09-30; based on 19 sales, so treat as directional)
Sale-to-list ratio: 101.5% for all homes, 101.6% for single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30; 25 and 19 sales)
Share sold above list: 48% of all homes, 42.1% of single-family homes (90 days ending 2026-09-30; 25 and 19 sales)
Median days on market: 42 for all homes, 40 for single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30; 25 and 19 sales)
Months of supply: 2.7 for all homes, 2.5 for single family; inventory 22 and 16 homes (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
Median price per square foot: $317 for both all homes and single family (90 days ending 2026-09-30; 25 and 19 sales)
Warwick, NY seller disclosure FAQs
What is the new property disclosure law in NY?
In 2023, New York repealed the closing-credit alternative, making the form mandatory for non-exempt sales. A companion bill added flood-risk and flood-insurance questions to the form.
How do I get the New York seller's disclosure form?
Download the current version from the New York Department of State website.
What is the most common disclosure in a New York home sale?
The state Property Condition Disclosure Statement is the most common. Homes built before 1978 also require the separate federal lead-based paint disclosure described above.
What documents does a seller need to sell a home in Warwick, NY?
Sellers typically need the deed, the completed disclosure statement, any existing survey, and permits and certificates of occupancy, plus the lead form for pre-1978 homes. Your real estate attorney can confirm the full list.
Does a seller in New York have to share a previous home inspection report?
New York law does not explicitly require it. Any material defect the report revealed that you now know about must still be answered accurately on the state form.
Does a seller have to disclose an appraisal to the buyer in New York?
There is no general rule requiring it. The disclosure form covers the home's physical condition and environmental hazards, not its appraised value.
Is the New York disclosure statement a warranty?
No. It records only the seller's actual knowledge at the time, and the buyer still relies on their own inspections.
Can a buyer back out after getting the disclosure statement in New York?
The buyer reviews the statement before signing a binding contract. If a revised statement arrives after signing, ask your attorney how it affects the contract's contingencies.
