Funds for legal action and further inspection
Donation protected
In early July, after living here in Grand Forks North Dakota for a couple years, we decided to take the jump and purchase a home. We ended up finding a home that we fell in love with, a house that we saw a lot of potential for growth and improvement. We scheduled an inspection with a pair of inspectors that came highly recommended to us by our realtor and fellow military members in the community. After inspection and appraisal were done, we were approved for our loan by the VA and afforded the opportunity move forward with the purchase of our home. We closed on the home in mid August and were excited to move into our new home
After closing, we moved at the end of August. The day we moved, we raced the weather to move in. It ended up raining that night but we were able to get everything into the home before the storm hit. However the rain ended uncovering problems in the home that had not been disclosed by the seller, some of which were hidden behind cosmetic updates to the property. We discovered that the seller had literally and figuratively put up thin walls up over glaring defects in the home.
The list of problems and information that we have uncovered as a result of a single rainy night is staggering and continues to grow. Mold, broken and corroded pipes, water damage in the basement with dry wall put up in front of an unfinsihed brick foundation, bad electrical updates/wiring, sewer gas venting into the home, among a litany of other problems. We discovered that many of the updates were accomplished without proper permitting, approval or work and that our inspectors missed some massive issues that would have been a non starter. Our dream of owning our first home has become a nightmare.
After speaking with numerous inspectors, plumbers, electricians, and our insurance company, we have been pushed into a corner. It is not in the condition that we were promised. The home, which we purchased with the expectation that it would be an asset for our future, has become a liability. The property requires over $30k dollars in repairs and counting to bring the home up to code.
Our only option is to hire a lawyer to pursue legal action against the party(ies) responsible for our current situation and we need to act quickly. The retainer fee for our lawyer has been estimated to be anywhere between 5k-7k. We need to have our house inspected by a mold expert to determine the scope of the damage and have an air quality test done in the home to determine if it is safe to live in currently. Our house may not be safe for us to stay in and everything we have is financially tied up in it at this point. We are asking our friends, family, and community for their assistance to help us get through our time of need. Any amount will help immensely.
After closing, we moved at the end of August. The day we moved, we raced the weather to move in. It ended up raining that night but we were able to get everything into the home before the storm hit. However the rain ended uncovering problems in the home that had not been disclosed by the seller, some of which were hidden behind cosmetic updates to the property. We discovered that the seller had literally and figuratively put up thin walls up over glaring defects in the home.
The list of problems and information that we have uncovered as a result of a single rainy night is staggering and continues to grow. Mold, broken and corroded pipes, water damage in the basement with dry wall put up in front of an unfinsihed brick foundation, bad electrical updates/wiring, sewer gas venting into the home, among a litany of other problems. We discovered that many of the updates were accomplished without proper permitting, approval or work and that our inspectors missed some massive issues that would have been a non starter. Our dream of owning our first home has become a nightmare.
After speaking with numerous inspectors, plumbers, electricians, and our insurance company, we have been pushed into a corner. It is not in the condition that we were promised. The home, which we purchased with the expectation that it would be an asset for our future, has become a liability. The property requires over $30k dollars in repairs and counting to bring the home up to code.
Our only option is to hire a lawyer to pursue legal action against the party(ies) responsible for our current situation and we need to act quickly. The retainer fee for our lawyer has been estimated to be anywhere between 5k-7k. We need to have our house inspected by a mold expert to determine the scope of the damage and have an air quality test done in the home to determine if it is safe to live in currently. Our house may not be safe for us to stay in and everything we have is financially tied up in it at this point. We are asking our friends, family, and community for their assistance to help us get through our time of need. Any amount will help immensely.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sam Rongstad
Organizer
Grand Forks, ND
Cloyd Dowling
Beneficiary