Buying or Selling a Home/Bought a Lemon

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Expert: - 4/13/2009


Question
My sister bought a house.  After they signed the papers, they were moving in and noticed a new cement patch in the basement the day AFTER they signed.  Called their realtor, he said not to worry about it.  Now it is leaking.  Also, siding on house not put on right and bees have a hive underneath.  What recourse does she have now 1 1/2 years later?  HELP.  We live in Wisconsin.  Obviously my sister didn't ask her family for help in purchasing her new home, now we are finding all this out.  Hope you can help.

Answer
Hey, Wendi.

You didn't say whether or not a home inspections was conducted on your sister's house. If not, she might be faulted for not having done all her due diligence.

I haven't been able to find out what the statute of limitations is for home inspections in Wisconsin. My only contact up there is either out of business, on vacation, or simply not responding.

In California it's four years, in many states it's two years, and some states don't address the issue.

The best thing for you to do is contact a good real estate attorney. Most attorneys will provide either a 30- or 60-minute free consultation, so take advantage of that.

Make sure you take all your documentation with you, including documentation about any verbal conversations with other involved parties.

If she did have a home inspection completed, also contact the home inspector to discuss the issue with him. If there is a home inspection report, and you need help reading through it to determine conditions at the time of the inspection and what was and was not done, feel free to contact me again.

Hope that helps you. Good luck.

Russel

Buying or Selling a Home

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Russel Ray

Expertise

Through home inspections, I provide an education about real estate. I'm one of those rare home inspectors who has been involved in real estate in many different capacities: as a Realtor (in Texas), as a property investor/flipper, as a teacher, and as a marketing expert (for Realtors and home inspectors). I believe that my experience as a Realtor and property investor provides me with a different viewpoint about home inspections in that I work for my Clients, but when there are other people involved in helping my Clients, then I firmly believe in helping them, too. That includes Realtors (both the seller's and the buyer's), repair professionals (e.g., plumbers, electricians, etc.). If I can get all the players (seller, seller's Realtor, buyer, buyer's Realtor, and repair professionals) playing in the same sandbox together to accomplish goals as a TEAM (Together Everyone Accomplishes More), then I believe I have succeeded in my job as a home inspector. My profession is, in my opinion, much more than simply documenting the condition of a property and then take the money and run. I am also a rare breed in that I don't believe that one inspection fits the needs of all Clients, and I have led the industry in understanding that fact. For example, the goals of a property investor are far different than the goals of someone buying a property to live in. The goals of a seller (a pre-listing inspection) are far different than the goals of a buyer (a pre-purchase inspection). To that end, I offer 14 different types of inspections, e.g., STANDARD, LIST, RENTER, BASIC, MAINTENANCE, SPOT, and more. I believe in giving the benefit of the doubt to all professionals in whatever industry they represent until they prove me wrong.

Experience

Over 42 years in all aspects of real estate--building homes, renovating homes, inspecting homes, Realtor.

Organizations
National Association of Certified Home Inspector, Better Business Bureau of San Diego

Education/Credentials
Graduate of Texas A&M University; College Station, Texas

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