Realtors or people who know real estate law

[4speedy]

Are you saying the homeowner provided paperwork that showed repairs were made but the paperwork was falsified and the work had never been done?

Or are you saying work was performed but it didn't fix the leak?

Because the first one sounds like fraud and you would go after the previous homeowner. The second scenario sounds like it might just be a warranty issue with whoever did the work.

[zoomzoom]

Mar 10, 2017 14:42:06 GMT -5 nikki25 said:

Mar 10, 2017 12:15:53 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

I have been told that this isn't legally binding - they have to fill it out to the 'best of their knowledge.'  So they can basically say whatever they want on the disclosure whether it's true or not.  In your case, because it was a very specific issue, I'm hoping you do have recourse.  

Also, if anything is found that needs to be addressed, I would use that to negotiate down the price and have your own people do the work.  We didn't do that and got royally screwed as the sellers tried to fix the repairs as cheaply as possible.

No, not necessarily true, it can absolutely be binding. There is a difference between not knowing you had a foundation issue and being aware of the issue, hiring a foundation company and submitting an 80 page report that it was fixed.

The sellers clearly note it was an issue

Agree --- see bolded.

[screwedup]

Mar 10, 2017 11:39:52 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Did you have a real estate attorney for your closing? They would be my first call. It looks like several people could be involved, so honestly I would start with someone outside of that.

In my state (GA), closing attorneys represent the lenders. I would find another real estate attorney. I believe you should have recourse to sue the seller. However, that will be no fun.

I am so sorry!!

[nikki25]

Mar 10, 2017 16:19:56 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

Mar 10, 2017 14:42:06 GMT -5 nikki25 said:

No, not necessarily true, it can absolutely be binding. There is a difference between not knowing you had a foundation issue and being aware of the issue, hiring a foundation company and submitting an 80 page report that it was fixed.

The sellers clearly note it was an issue

Agree --- see bolded.

Oops, sorry, I missed that part.

I really hope you have a case for the foundation issue. Definitely start moving on it now, talk to attorneys, foundation expert, your realtor, etc.

[teatimefor2]

I am now a licensed realtor and have successfully sued and settled at nearly 100% of damages based off of the seller's disclosure form. I'm a lurking from MMM, but our seller's flat out lied and we were able to prove it.

Speak with several attorneys to get their different perspective and start to get started least three quotes.

Good luck and feel free to private message me. We are now finishing the repairs in the next month, but I've been working on this for almost two years.

[speckledfrog]

Holy shit. I have no advice, but I'm sorry that you guys are going through this. What a nightmare.

[isabel]

Mar 10, 2017 12:07:23 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

Mar 10, 2017 11:47:54 GMT -5 isabel said:

Plumber, electrician, structural engineer (if you're looking at anything built on any kind of hill or with multiple levels), separate HVAC person to inspect the furnace and AC (separate from the plumber who would inspect the main sewer line).

The reality is that home inspectors routinely miss things because they just can't know everything. In our previous home, we had an electrician out to look at something and he told us the electrical panel was not to code. When H expressed surprise, he said that most home inspectors don't go through the recommended training to learn about electrical stuff because it's several days and $$$.

Yes, yes, yes.  We knew we were going to have to replace the HVAC units sooner rather than later.  What we didn't know is that one of the units was leaking carbon monoxide.  When the HVAC people found it, they immediately shut off the unit and it had to be replaced.  In a neighboring suburb, the houses are older and many are built on cinder blocks and are notorious for having issues, either structural or with water leaking so I'd have a foundation company inspect that.  So if there are known issues in your area, I would look for specialists in those areas.  Sprinkler system?  Have that inspected, as well.  Pool?  Find a qualified pool installation/repair company inspect.  


ETA: I would also want to test every appliance staying with the house.  The light didn't work in the fridge so we just assumed it was burnt out.  It wasn't - it needed to actually be repaired and only 2 companies in the area even service Sub Zeros.  So I wouldn't make any assumptions like we did :/

ETA2: I would also open and close every single window.  If you see any wood rot, have that looked at.  It wouldn't hurt to have an insulation person check for proper insulation.  If we ever buy again, I'm going to be one picky bitch.  Lol.

You and I have discussed this before, so I sort of answered for you.

But all that said, I think you sort of have to consider the price of hiring that many people vs. a general inspector vs. what would cause you to walk and how competitive the market is.

For example, we just purchased and closed on a house last week. So far, we're in good shape, but we did need to have the whole house humidifier rewired and spent $150 on a very thorough cleaning of the furnace. It needs further cleaning of some other part, but they have to take something apart to get to it, so we'll have them come back before the summer to do a check of the AC and clean that part. These are things we would have known before the purchase if we had used an HVAC company to inspect the furnace and AC. However, I have to remind myself that even if we had known those things, it wouldn't have in any way prevented us from going through with the purchase and we wouldn't have asked for repairs of any of it. There's also something on the sprinkler system that is rusted and DH is going to have that replaced. Again, we'd have known that ahead of time had we had someone knowledgable inspect the system, but it wouldn't have changed what we did with the purchase. 

On the other hand, we looked at a different house that we were considering putting an offer on. If we had followed through on that, I absolutely would have gone with the approach of having specialized contractors come out for various areas of the house. It was clear that there were several somewhat major issues and I wouldn't have felt comfortable with a general inspector for that property.

So, I think there's a lot of possible factors to consider and there are different scenarios where specialized contractors make more sense than a general inspector and vice versa.

[zoomzoom]

Mar 12, 2017 0:17:55 GMT -5 isabel said:

Mar 10, 2017 12:07:23 GMT -5 zoomzoom said:

So, I think there's a lot of possible factors to consider and there are different scenarios where specialized contractors make more sense than a general inspector and vice versa.

I agree.  I'm also biased b/c our inspector did a shit job and had I known what lay ahead, that would have drastically altered our purchase price or we would have walked away.

[ohyouknow]

I quit hiring general inspectors. Seriously, I can go around and flush toilets and heat the oven to see if it heats right. Plus when I wanted to sue one we had who missed huge issues we found out they all have clauses in their contracts that they can't be held responsible. I now just get the individual inspectors for things I might be concerned about. Visible foundation cracks? Yes please. 25 year old furnace. Yes please. Dryer sounds funny? Nah. It's a balancing act made with mostly common sense.

[ashsummer]

My husband and I have been saving up for a home (first time home buyers), but were not quite ready to start looking yet, so we don't have a realtor or a real estate attorney lined up. A good friend of mine recommends me to use  Vaughan Real estate lawyers . What's your experience, folks?

[themysteriouswife]

Apr 7, 2017 5:22:56 GMT -5 ashsummer said:

My husband and I have been saving up for a home (first time home buyers), but were not quite ready to start looking yet, so we don't have a realtor or a real estate attorney lined up. A good friend of mine recommends me to use  Vaughan Real estate lawyers . What's your experience, folks?

It's going to depend on where you live. I've never heard of them

[kadams767]

Apr 7, 2017 5:22:56 GMT -5 ashsummer said:

My husband and I have been saving up for a home (first time home buyers), but were not quite ready to start looking yet, so we don't have a realtor or a real estate attorney lined up. A good friend of mine recommends me to use  Vaughan Real estate lawyers . What's your experience, folks?

Why are almost all of your posts product placements or links to random service providers? 

[TR]

Apr 7, 2017 8:19:19 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Apr 7, 2017 5:22:56 GMT -5 ashsummer said:

My husband and I have been saving up for a home (first time home buyers), but were not quite ready to start looking yet, so we don't have a realtor or a real estate attorney lined up. A good friend of mine recommends me to use  Vaughan Real estate lawyers . What's your experience, folks?

Why are almost all of your posts product placements or links to random service providers? 

lol omg you're right. Reading her post history is like a bunch of infomercials. "Ladies, do you ever find yourself feeling wiped out?"

[cville]

Apr 7, 2017 8:24:38 GMT -5 TR said:

Apr 7, 2017 8:19:19 GMT -5 kadams767 said:

Why are almost all of your posts product placements or links to random service providers? 

lol omg you're right. Reading her post history is like a bunch of infomercials. "Ladies, do you ever find yourself feeling wiped out?"

And not even good at it. This post is like 3 weeks old. Get on it faster, fake person who is paid to lie.


Eta: man, is it funny. She's conveniently: visiting Belfast, shopping for kid's clothes, buying a house, going back to college and renting textbooks, buying a hair straightener, looking into setting up vacation events in London...at the EXACT SAME TIME as someone who has a related question.

[kadams767]

Apr 7, 2017 8:29:08 GMT -5 cville said:

Apr 7, 2017 8:24:38 GMT -5 TR said:

lol omg you're right. Reading her post history is like a bunch of infomercials. "Ladies, do you ever find yourself feeling wiped out?"

And not even good at it. This post is like 3 weeks old. Get on it faster, fake person who is paid to lie.

This is how I noticed it.   She did it on another post a couple weeks ago and I remember clicking and wondering why she was randomly commenting in an old thread.  It's the most random stuff, too!