Legal Ranglings

Posted by Joel Nash Nov 17, 2006

When I purchase a home I have a basic idea of what to look for and where the problem areas tend to be. My current purchase was a fixer and the problem areas were everywhere. However there were a couple of issues that stood out, such as some knob-and-tube wiring and galvanized plumbing.

In the Agreement of Purchase and Sale it clearly stated that the vendor was responsible for removing and replacing both of these items at their expense. Six months in I am uncovering both galvanized plumbing and knob-and-tube wiring. The real kicker is the latent undisclosed defect that pre-existed the sale. The vendor patched the firebox in the oil furnace. Now had I been informed that the furnace was not survivable then I would have dealt with that in the original Agreement. The vendor failed to disclose a potentially dangerous issue.

So now I find myself having my lawyer drafting letters to her lawyer and hoping I can settle this dispute out of court. Although I have every intention of going to court to fight this, if necessary. So here I am hoping to get this resolved quickly.