It's a blessing in disguise but... (LONG RANT AHEAD)

[Dr_Girlfriend]

I just can't help feeling absolutely cheated. Financially and emotionally. We sold our house in Atlanta in October. Just the most perfect transaction ever. I was just absolutely thankful that it sold, let alone in only 4 months on the market.

So we move 150 miles. Closer to our families. We decided that we would take our time looking for house here so we didn't feel pressured just to buy because we needed a place fast. His parents offered to let us stay with them until we found something. Believe me, that's drama in itself. Long story short, we found the cutest house. Not too big, not too small.. really perfect. There was a full disclosure statement given to us. No problems other than basic little bits of wear and tear. Fast forward and our offer is accepted. We were planning to close in the middle of January.

I'm sure everybody knows that feeling when things are just going a little too smoothly. We have the inspection done last Tuesday. I had noticed that the neighbor had been staring us down the WHOLE hour that we waited for the inspector to show. He's looking at the outside when nosy neighbor comes out and says "do you mind taking a look at my siding, I'm noticing some bubbling." Basically I'm thinking damn lady I paid for him, wait your turn! Turns out she was actually giving the inspector a hint to check the siding very carefully. He looks at it and it's almost all disintergrated underneath. The lovely sellers just painted it and tried to make it look new.

We did a little research and the siding used on the house (which is about 10 years old) was recalled and a class-action lawsuit was filed in which homeowners received between $6000 - $10000 to pay for the replacement. This issue was NEVER disclosed to us. At first the sellers tried to deny that they had any knowledge of the problem. When they were pressed a little harder they finally admitted that they were part of the lawsuit and gotten a cash award. They then claimed that they only received $500. BULLSHIT. So we submit a counter-offer to sellers that they fix every bit of the affected boards with hardy plank. They tell us they'll only contribute $1000 to the repairs since they didn't use the judgement money to fix the house. Again... bullshit. The estimate we had done was just to replace the affected boards and was around $36,000. Today, after everything, they rescend the original offer and take the house off the market. I'm assuming that they will wait a little time and just relist it and hope that they get a less informed buyer.

This has just been a shitty day. I started a new job today and was at orientation for that. My realtor proceeded to blow up my cell phone. I had 17 (yes... seventeen) missed calls and 10 voicemails from her wanting to know how we wanted to proceed. She even gets an attitude with me saying something like she didn't understand, if I liked the house bad enough it was worth doing the repairs myself. WHAT... ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS LADY?!?! I'm not made of money! This means that we're going to be at my in-law's longer than anticipated.

Honestly, I'm not good at this type of thing. Isn't that why there are DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS? To avoid dumb shit like this? I need a lawyer because the only thing I'm getting back is my small bit of escrow money. I'm out the money for the apprasial and inspection, so give or take a grand. It's still $1000 I could put toward more useful things.

Fuck it... I need a drink. Sorry for the incredibly long rant but I feel a little better now.

 

[Dr_Girlfriend]

Also, at least Dad is talking to his lawyer for me so hopefully we'll have recourse. I mean, isn't that falsifying documents?

 

[FiestyFemme]

I've never bought a home, so I don't know all the in's and out's, but that's just so dishonest! I mean really... receiving a settlement, not using it for it's intended purpose, then lying about it to sell the house?! People can just be so shady! It's not wrong at all of you to expect that the owners get the house up to par before you buy it, and since they won't, I guess it's better that it happened this way. Still, I can imagine your disappointment since you really liked the house, plus you'd be moving out of your in-law's. So sorry things worked out this way, but you're right this is a blessing in disguise!

 

[Nox]

Wow! The old "disguise the dog shit as chocolate" trick. I'm sorry that happened to you. What an annoyance (I know, that's an understatement). As much as that neighbor was kinda being a pain in the ass, it did save you from signing your name to a crumbling wall.

The realtor no doubt wants you to make a decision right now instead of later because I'm sure she is hurting for business and wants that cash. They are going to have to sit cool for a little bit until you guys can get this sorted out.

I would advise you pursue the previous owners on this. Do it aggressively and fast. Sue if necessary. This was premeditated, there are witnesses, and they acted as though they thought they could totally get away with it. Sue them for damages and repair. The amount may very easily exceed that of what you can settle in small claims court. It's time to get out the big guns and hire a lawyer. Find out if any laws have been broken, and then you may have a criminal court case on your hands.

My family owns several apartment buildings and condos. This has been done to us before. Sue them. Don't wait another day. They've already been tipped off that you know of the decrepit state of that wall. They are probably working on concocting reasonable-sounding stories right this very minute.

Unfortunately, you may have no easy way out of this. But from what I read, the only way you may get your due justice is if you pursue this to the fullest extent. Before the previous owners met you, they planned to shirk their responsibilities and pin it on you. You absolutely have justified cause to go after them. Very few cases are as clear cut as this. I would take them on if I were you. Very best of luck to you and DH.

 

[Dr_Girlfriend]

I definitely know I can't waste time with this. I just don't feel that I'm objective enough at this point to logically make my case. Usually I'm the laid back one when it comes to crazy stuff like this but my husband is just acting like nothing is going on! I very well know it is a blessing. Things happen for a reason and I shouldn't be too upset BUT I AM. It's a huge investment and not to be taken lightly.

If my mother-in-law would give me 10 seconds to myself to think about things and gather some perspective, I'd be okay. No matter how many times I tell her I can't talk about it or deal with it right this moment. But she won't let it go. That's why she's crying right now. I apologized for snapping at her and I was harsh but come on... what do you expect?

Thanks for letting me vent. We've had little to no privacy for the past month we're going a little batty.

 

[Willa]

I don't know how it works in the US, I guess it's probably like here in Canada, so it's a luck that the nosy neighbor was there...

It's very important to have an inspector, this way you save yourself from trouble. If I were you, I would not buy this house. There will be others, better for you. I'm the type to believe that everything happens for a reason.

Only you and your man can decide if you wanna buy the house, not the realtor, not your parents in law.

We bought a condo in june and we didnt have an inspector because at the time we were short on the money. Guess what? We're having troubles since we bought...

The shower of the person who lives upstairs started to leak in our roof. Actually I think when we bought, it was already leaking but it was so small each time that we didnt notice until my man accidentally hit the light and water felt on his head

it was all rusted and full of limestone...

Also, there's a little basement underneath (have to be on our knees, it's about 4 feet high), and 2 specialists came to check on something : mould is curently forming on the wood, it's to humid down there.

So, all this to tell you that you don't need problems, stay away from this house darling

 

[Dr_Girlfriend]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willa I don't know how it works in the US, I guess it's probably like here in Canada, so it's a luck that the nosy neighbor was there... It's very important to have an inspector, this way you save yourself from trouble. If I were you, I would not buy this house. There will be others, better for you. I'm the type to believe that everything happens for a reason. Only you and your man can decide if you wanna buy the house, not the realtor, not your parents in law. We bought a condo in june and we didnt have an inspector because at the time we were short on the money. Guess what? We're having troubles since we bought... The shower of the person who lives upstairs started to leak in our roof. Actually I think when we bought, it was already leaking but it was so small each time that we didnt notice until my man accidentally hit the light and water felt on his head it was all rusted and full of limestone... Also, there's a little basement underneath (have to be on our knees, it's about 4 feet high), and 2 specialists came to check on something : mould is curently forming on the wood, it's to humid down there. So, all this to tell you that you don't need problems, stay away from this house darling

Oh we're definitely not buying it. Also, I fired my realtor. She was just dense... friggin' idiot. I've purposely stayed away from this thread because every time I saw my rant, I'd get really angry and that's just not helpful. And yeah, thank God for the nosy neighbor! I'm fairly certain she did what she did because she hated the people.

Haha.. the funny thing was that the homeowner came home in the middle of the inspection and was pissed that we were still there. She was a bitch and said "well, I wasn't aware that this was going to be a 3 hour tour..."
Whatever lady.

We're over it and still looking. There's a house that was just put on the market and it's down the street from my in-laws. I love this neighborhood. The houses are older (like 20-30 years old) and it's an established neighborhood. That means TREES!!! BIG TREES!!! And they aren't cookie cutter homes. So the search resumes... and I'm optimistic.
Thank you for the kind words everyone!

 

[Willa]

Love the ''well, I wasn't aware that this was going to be a 3 hour tour'' she told you...

You did good by fireing this realtor, good luck on your search, I hope you'll find the best place for you and your man!

 

[ClaireAvril]

^^ its not the realtors fault the people lied. Realtors are not home inspectors, nor are they contractors or siding specialists. That is why you put a clause in your agreement calling for a home inspector. The realtor of course shouldn't have been rude.. but looks like they were just trying to find out what your intentions were.

You have to be careful with homes @ any age.. we moved into a brand new home with many problems. But when you get into homes 20+ years old your eyes still have to be just as wide opened with the roof and other major structural aspects of the house. Get another intensive inspection. Don't expect the seller is just going to be honest with you. ha. Are there any people out there who are truly honest.. especially with it comes to hundreds of thousands of dollars?!??!?