Help! We have a water problem in our basement, 2 sump pumps, one flood already. Just bought this house in 8/06 - took apart the drywall today in one corner of the basement, to get access to a walled-up stairway access to the outside.

It is apparent that the former owners, who admittedly dry-walled their own basement just prior to selling, had boarded up the stairwell for a reason: the foundation is cracked, falling in, and they had placed 2x4's etc, bracing it, then insulated and drywalled it to hide the problem.

I need to know what the next step is in starting the repair process... don't have a lot of money - unfortunately, the things found wrong in this house after we moved in will prevent us from selling it and getting anywhere close to what we purchased it for (did not do a home inspection, other than that which the bank provided... big mistake!).

Not afraid to do work ourselves... handy around the house, have gutted and restored the living room of our old home, so have some knowledge, but have never come across a situation as this...

thanks!
Sue
Rochester, NY

Contact the lawyer you used at the closing. Knowingly boarding things up to hide a problem consitutes fraud and you should go after the seller with a lawyer. a foundation that is falling in is not a home owner repair project. Even some pros have ben know to mess it up so call a pro but call your lawyer first. If there was a real estate person involved in this sale call them too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SusanK3120

Help! We have a water problem in our basement, 2 sump pumps, one flood already. Just bought this house in 8/06 - took apart the drywall today in one corner of the basement, to get access to a walled-up stairway access to the outside.

It is apparent that the former owners, who admittedly dry-walled their own basement just prior to selling, had boarded up the stairwell for a reason: the foundation is cracked, falling in, and they had placed 2x4's etc, bracing it, then insulated and drywalled it to hide the problem.

I need to know what the next step is in starting the repair process...don't have a lot of money - unfortunately, the things found wrong in this house after we moved in will prevent us from selling it and getting anywhere close to what we purchased it for (did not do a home inspection, other than that which the bank provided...big mistake!).

Not afraid to do work ourselves...handy around the house, have gutted and restored the living room of our old home, so have some knowledge, but have never come across a situation as this...

thanks!
Sue
Rochester, NY

---

Sue,
I don't know about the legality of non-disclosure in NY state but on the West coast, the sellers mindfully misrepresented themselves and are liable for their dishonesty. The statute of time limitations vary from state-to-state but one year is reasonable unless there is a horrendous earthquake! There are good RE attorneys who can update you on what is legal in your location. Good luck. Nm