I'm a single mom of a 12-year-old boy living in northwest Arkansas. Earlier this year, my son and I had to move from our previous home of 4 years due to unforeseen circumstances.

Rent wasn't an option for me as it is outrageous these days. Everyone knows the housing market over the last year or so has been insane and I was caught in the midst of that. With few options that met our needs, I purchased a small fixer-upper that I hoped would provide a safe home for my son and I as we started this new chapter of our lives.

Unfortunately, due to a predatory seller who did not disclose SIGNIFICANT structural and systems issues, this house is not the safe home it was meant to be. To be clear, I did everything a buyer is supposed to do - I worked with a realtor and hired an independent inspector. However, nowhere along the way were the major issues with the home’s joists or plumbing system discovered.

Currently, the plumbing is the most pressing issue. We are not able to bathe, use the restroom, or do laundry in this house without sewage backing up into the tub and the toilets leaking. Plumbers have said this is likely due to a collapsed cast iron pipe, and estimates just to dig up the line and replace it are up to $6,000.

I work full-time, but as a single mom I'm not able to come up with the money to make the needed repairs for this house to be liveable. It's a scary time to be a home owner with issues like this and any help would be appreciated no matter how small. Thank you so much.