Second, severe financial harm may result to the homeowner, if, for example he waits for a sale than doesn't close and is foreclosed on in the meantime, having lost his ability to negotiate with a buyer that would actually buy his property.

Personally, I don't see the harm in disclosing ... not like you are or should be trying to hide anything ... so, I agree with the other poster to say that when in doubt, disclose.

. $2 isn't going to cause me any harm, a bag of M&M's is almost $1.50 anymore...

@Jeff Byrne it could be that your family might be trying to protect you, without realizing they could be harming you.

Additionally, without any legal assurances the process does not ensure that the debt will not come back to harm that person.   

if i can afford it, no harm on that.

@Michael MastantuonoYes, but you need to find the right agent.The barrier to entry for RE agents is incredibly low, therefore there are a lot of agents out there that have absolutely no clue what they are doing and will do more harm on this deal than help.You need to find an agent that is experienced and that has done deals themselves. 

The government can be pressured to act when landlords and tenants get on the same page and pressure the government to make changes because the laws are harming both tenants and landlords alike.

@Wy Kay I don't carry a gun into properties because it isn't legal to do so in NY & NJ, but i do go into some REALLY rough areas with and on behalf of my clients, there are a lot of rules that you can follow to keep you out of harms way but here are my faves:-Go to the property before noon-Be aware of your surroundings-Don't sneak into a property, announce yourself loudly and often when you walk through -Lock the front and rear door when you enter-Go with someone if you arent comfortable going alone -If a property is said to be vacant but there are occupants (squatters) skip itLastly, go with your gut, if you think a situation is unsafe it just might be.

So no shame or harm in it!