(a) Eligibility requirements. The sale of a lot which meets the following requirements is exempt from registration requirements of the Act:

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(1) The lot is in a subdivision which contains fewer than 300 lots and has contained fewer than 300 lots since April 28, 1969.

(2) The lot is located within a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and characterized in paragraph (b) of this section.

(3) The principal residence of the purchaser is within the same MSA as the subdivision.

(4) The purchaser or purchaser’s spouse makes a personal on-the-lot inspection of the lot to be purchased prior to signing a contract or agreement.

(5) Each contract:

(i) Specifies the developer’s and purchaser’s responsibilities for providing and maintaining roads, water and sewer facilities and any existing or promised amenities;

(ii) Contains a good faith estimate of the year in which the roads, water and sewer facilities and promised amenities will be completed;

(iii) Contains a nonwaivable provision giving the purchaser the opportunity to revoke the contract until at least midnight of the seventh calendar day following the date the purchaser signed the contract, or, if the purchaser is entitled to a longer revocation period by operation of state law, that period becomes the Federal revocation period and the contract must reflect the requirements of the longer period.

(6) The lot being sold must be free and clear of liens such as mortgages, deeds of trust, tax liens, mechanics’ liens, or judgments. For purposes of this exemption, the term liens does not include the following:

(i) Mortgages or deeds of trust which contain release provisions for the individual lot purchased if:

(A) The contract of sale obligates the developer to deliver, within 180 days, a warranty deed (or its equivalent under local law), which at the time of delivery is free from any monetary liens or encumbrances; and

(B) The purchaser’s payments are deposited in an escrow account independent of the developer until a deed is delivered.

(ii) Liens which are subordinate to the leasehold interest and do not affect the lessee’s right to use or enjoy the lot.

(iii) Property reservations which are for the purpose of bringing public services to the land being developed, such as easements for water and sewer lines.

(iv) Taxes or assessments which constitute liens before they are due and payable if imposed by a state or other public body having authority to assess and tax property or by a property owners’ association.

(v) Beneficial property restrictions that are mutually enforceable by the lot owners in the subdivision. Restrictions, whether separately recorded or incorporated into individual deeds, must be applied uniformly to every lot or group of lots. To be considered beneficial and enforceable, any restriction or covenant that imposes an assessment on lot owners must apply to the developer on the same basis as other lot owners. Developers who maintain control of a subdivision through a Property Owners’ Association, Architectural Control Committee, restrictive covenants, or otherwise, shall transfer such control to the lot owners no later than when the developer ceases to own a majority of total lots in, or planned for, the subdivision. Relinquishment of developer control shall require affirmative action, usually in the form of an election based upon one vote per lot.

(vi) Reservations contained in United States land patents and similar Federal grants or reservations.

(7) Before the sale the developer gives a written MSA Exemption Statement to the purchaser and obtains a written receipt acknowledging that the statement was received. A sample MSA Exemption Statement is included in the exemption guidelines. A State-approved disclosure document may be used to satisfy this requirement if all of the information required by this section is included. The statement(s) given to purchasers must contain neither advertising nor promotion on behalf of the developer or the subdivision nor references to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In descriptive and concise terms, the statement that the developer must give the purchaser shall disclose the following:

(i) All liens, reservations, taxes, assessments, beneficial property restrictions which are enforceable by other lot owners in the subdivision, and adverse claims which are applicable to the lot to be purchased.

(ii) Good faith estimates of the cost to the purchaser of providing electric, water, sewer, gas and telephone service to the lot. The estimates for unsold lots must be updated every two years, or more frequently if the developer has reason to believe that significant cost increases have occurred. The dates on which the estimates were made must be included in the statement.

(8) The developer executes and gives to the purchaser a written instrument designating a person within the state of residence of the purchaser as the developer’s agent for service of process. The developer must also acknowledge in writing that it submits to the legal jurisdiction of the state in which the purchaser or lessee resides.

(9) The developer executes a written affirmation for each sale made under this exemption. By January 31 of each year, the developer submits to the Director a copy of the executed affirmation for each sale made during the preceding calendar year or a master affirmation in which are listed all purchasers’ names and addresses and the identity of the lots purchased. Individual affirmations must be available for the Director’s review at all times during the year. The affirmation must be in the form provided in section I of the appendix to this part: Form for Developer’s Affirmation for Land Sale.

(b) Metropolitan Statistical Area. Metropolitan Statistical Areas are defined by the Office of Management and Budget generally on the basis of population statistics reported in a census. To determine whether a subdivision is located within an MSA and the boundaries of an MSA, contact the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 726 Jackson Place NW., Washington, DC 20503.

(c) The sale must also comply with the anti-fraud provisions of § 1010.4(b) and (c).