Expert: Dick Dennis - 1/22/2009

Question
Hi Hope you can help me. We moved into our house 2yrs ago in May. We were supposed to close on this house before we moved in but were told that they weren't ready yet. They had us sign a purchase agreement and go ahead and move in. We have been waiting to close ever since. This house was in an estate and they have changed their story a few times on why they didn't have the deed. But now they are telling us that it is because one of the great grandsons wont sign off on it. This house was not livable when we got it and have put close to 10,000.00 in making it livable. It had been sitting empty for 5 yrs. What can we do? Anything? Any advice would be wonderful.. Thank You

Answer
You don't have much choice, Meachelle. You must, absolutely must, get yourself a good REAL ESTATE attorney to put those people in their place. They goofed way back when they agreed to sell you the house. Obviously, they should have been able to have everybody sign off on the sale. Now an attorney, and then a judge will straighten things out. The judge might be needed to force that great grandson to sign off since everybody else did. Certainly that $10,000 and more would be payable from SOMEBODY. Simply, they should not have sold it to you until the executor was assigned who would have had the power to sign off. I do wish you well.

Dick Dennis
dixiedee13@aol.com