The West Virginia records that decide what a home really costs and what the seller has to tell you: disclosure law, property-tax reset, the official registry, and the FEMA flood map — sourced, with the county offices that hold the files.
Check the records behind the address before you offer.
Check any address — free previewThe legal standard: West Virginia is a buyer-beware state with no general statutory seller disclosure form; a seller has no duty to volunteer defects, but may not fraudulently conceal known defects or lie when asked, and licensed agents must disclose known material defects.
Do not expect a state disclosure form in West Virginia — there is no law requiring a seller to complete one, and caveat emptor puts investigation on you. Sellers still cannot actively conceal a known defect or answer a direct question falsely, and an agent involved must disclose known material defects. Put every question in writing and make the contract contingent on a full inspection.
Sources: houzeo.com · listwithclever.com · tax.wv.gov · countyoffice.org
Your bill is based on 60% of the county's market value for that year, not on the seller's bill and not reset to your purchase price by the sale itself. If the seller was 65+ and claimed the $20,000 exemption and you do not qualify, that exemption comes off on the next July 1 and your bill rises even if the value does not.
Homestead: Only owners age 65 or older or permanently and totally disabled get a homestead exemption, on the first $20,000 of assessed value of an owner-occupied home (W. Va. Code 11-6B-3); there is no exemption for younger owner-occupants.
West Virginia Sex Offender Registry is run by West Virginia State Police. Search it by the home's address before you offer — and search again before closing, because registry data changes as people move.
Open the official West Virginia registry
You can also search every state at once through the federal National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). A CurbFacts report shows the registry count for the home's ZIP — the same public data, organized for the decision.
The only flood map that decides a lender's insurance requirement is FEMA's — the National Flood Hazard Layer behind the official FEMA flood map viewer. Listing sites license private models that can and do disagree with it; when they conflict, the FEMA map is the one your lender and insurer use.
Check the exact parcel, not the ZIP code: flood-zone boundaries cut through streets, and two houses side by side can sit in different zones.
A private seller need not volunteer defects, but a licensed agent must reveal known material defects under W. Va. Code 30-40-19 — asking the listing agent direct questions can surface information the seller never had to offer.
What the West Virginia disclosure does and does not cover, section by section, and the questions it never answers.
Read the guideHow to run an address through the official West Virginia registry, and how to read what comes back.
Read the guideRecords live at the county level — assessor, recorder, permits. Pick the county for its records checklist.
Every CurbFacts report pulls the public records behind an address — flood determination, registry, tax reset, price history, permits, and what's planned nearby — and shows its sources.
Check any address — free preview