Ellis and LaRue Valdez

Ellis and LaRue Valdez bought their first home in Fayetteville, North Carolina due to a new military assignment at Fort Bragg. They had all the inspections, even one from the VA. They passed.  The first weekend in their new home, one of the toilets backed up and raw sewage overflowed into the bathroom.

***Due to the seller stating the home was on city sewer there was no need to look for septic, have it inspected or emptied. 

During the process of buying the home, all the documentation and disclosure provided by the seller and listing agent said the house was connected to public sewer. The seller knowingly lied about this. However, when they hired an emergency plumber to assess the clog, he discovered that the house was actually on Septic. When the Septic tank inspector came to assess the tank, he discovered the septic tank was filled to the top with a hard mass, the distribution box completely gone, and the drainage pipes completely decayed, essentially damaged beyond repair.

During the process of requesting a quote from the city to tie to public sewer, Ellis and Larue found out the seller already had requested a quote previous to selling the property. 

In addition to the septic issues, the seller lied about the completion of various items that they requested during the due diligence period. In the process of “fixing” other issues, he hired contractors that did more damage to other things and never fixed them. He damaged the front door beyond repair, cracked the master shower rendering it not usable, failed to replace a missing window, incorrectly installed a defective dishwasher, and failed to disclose major issues with the refrigerator. Little by little, they continue to discover hidden issues with the house that the seller hid from them. Ultimately, the seller took advantage of them as first time home buyers.

Ellis and Larue hired an attorney to try and request the seller and listing agent settle the issues without going to court, but they have refused to do so. Ellis and Larue are struggling to find the means to pay for legal assistance while still having enough to cover the daily essentials. At the same time, the odor of raw sewage is pungent around the whole home due to the raw sewage that sits in a hole in the back yard as a result of the destroyed septic. Ellis and Larue have a 1 year old boy and Larue is 27 weeks pregnant, so both are constantly exposed to the hazards of raw sewage in the yard and in the air.

All they are asking for is help to cover the legal fees ($15,000) so they can get the funds they need to fix the house and ensure those responsible don’t get away with the terrible things they’ve done