I'm pissed. 1st, the homeowners decided not to include that they knew the foundation had been worked on in the past in their sellers disclosure, but they THREW AWAY ALL THE DOCUMENTATION ABOUT THE REPAIR!!!

I'm not trying to figure out who did the foundation repair in the first place, but am having no luck. I've tried calling all the foundation repair companies in Dallas that I can find. None of them have any records. I tried calling the city of Richardson to see who pulled the permit for the repair. Either they didn't get a permit, or "they used less than 3 piers and it wasn't required."

I'm at a loss. Anyone have any advice on where to go from here? Obviously the problem has been fixed, I would just like the warranty for it and know who did it. We're getting a foundation guy we trust to go look at it tomorrow to get his opinion, but I'm so mad at the sellers!

Contact the seller? Be mad at them all you want, but be cordial in your inquiry.

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I'm not trying to figure out who did the foundation repair in the first place, but am having no luck.

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I assume you meant "I am trying to figure out who did the..."

[This message has been edited by texsn95 (edited 2/28/2012 12:31p).]

yeah.. thats what i meant. the seller is clueless. who the hell throws that kind of paperwork away?

Did you already buy the house?

What does your realtor say?

we're in the option period trying to figure out if this is a deal breaker for us.

Realtor thinks it's ok. We just really want to know the history of what was done...

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yeah.. thats what i meant. the seller is clueless. who the hell throws that kind of paperwork away?

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Someone who is trying to rid themselves of any liability.

When did you buy it? Have they verbally confirmed there was work done that was not disclosed? I'm not lawyer but certainly there has to be some sort of recourse?

My father was sued for something like this back in the 90s. Granted, ours was innocent, and simple misuse of one phrase got us in hot water. But ultimately the buyer won by suing the Realtor, who is insured for things like this.

Ok, I probably should have read all that before responding...didn't realize you were still in the option period. I'd walk. Foundation damage is serious. Structural issues are the most important part of your home (foundation, roof, walls).

[This message has been edited by mm98 (edited 2/28/2012 12:53p).]

I'm sure they could go back through old banks statements or cancelled checks to find out who did it. That is if they really wanted to find out. Make it an ultimatum, provide the contractor info or we walk.

I'd walk. If they are the type to throw away important documentation they're probably also the type to hire the cheapest contractor to do a job regardless of quality.

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Realtor thinks it's ok.

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...wants paid sooner than later.


[This message has been edited by AgResearch (edited 2/28/2012 1:02p).]

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I'm sure they could go back through old banks statements or cancelled checks to find out who did it. That is if they really wanted to find out. Make it an ultimatum, provide the contractor info or we walk.

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This. I've been a homeowner since 2003 and I can name every major contractor (defined by $1,000+ or higher) that has ever worked on my house quite easily. You don't forget that kind of stuff.

to be fair, they didn't do the repair. the owner before that did, and they threw the paperwork away sometime after they bought it.

I guess that begs the question, how well do y'all like this house? Is it THE ONE?

Walk away due to their failure to disclose.

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to be fair, they didn't do the repair. the owner before that did, and they threw the paperwork away sometime after they bought it.

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BUT they still chose not to disclose it.

I think this is a case where the phrase "Run, don't walk" applies.

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to be fair, they didn't do the repair. the owner before that did, and they threw the paperwork away sometime after they bought it.

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How long ago was this? 2 years? 10+? How old is the house? 5 years or 50? Richardson has some old homes.

This is why you have independent inspectors. Houses in DFW move. If you haven't had foundation trouble yet, you will. If it looks like they put in 5-10 new piers, then maybe you should be worried. If the foundation work was just one or two piers, I think you are blowing things out of proportion.

It's your money. If you don't feel confident, walk. However, your statements are not clear and conflict with each other. Are you sure you're not overreacting just a bit?

I might be overreacting a bit. I'm not sure. I have no idea about any of the work performed, that's why I'm mad. They know nothing, not who, when, how much, what they did, nothing.

House was built in 70s. I know houses move in DFW,I'm not naive about that. But to buy a house with no paperwork behind screams headache for me when I try to sell.

BTW, I assume you have a slab foundation, right? There are quite a few pier and beam homes west of 75 in Richardson.

I'd be much more concerned with what work was done than who did it or if there is a warranty.

[This message has been edited by AeroAg2003 (edited 2/28/2012 3:00p).]

Yes slab, east of 75

Question--

Are you required to disclose repairs made by a prior owner? I thought you only disclosed things you did to the home while you owned it.

Dubi, I don't want to get this sidetracked but thats what got my father in hot water many years ago.

The house he bought originally burned, and he was told from the seller it was "rebuilt from the slab up". Well, when he sold it, he had that exact phrase put into the contract noting that the owner before us did that work.

So, 6 months later the company that bought our house gutted part of it and turned it into a commercial office. They noticed some of the interior studs were either reused or never removed as they were still charred, and they sued him, our Realtor, and the previous owner.

I think they got our Realtor's insurance company for somewhere in the neighborhood of 300k.

Ah, if I understand it rightly, if you know of disclose-able information that has not changed since a previous owner, you have some obligation to pass that along.

If you had encapsulated asbestos declared by a previous owner, you would disclose that fact. Which would be a mix of your work and the previous owner's. If you had encapsulated correctly, there's no need for abatement, but, the material is there, and wants needs disclosing in case new work occurs.

If the previous owners declared that they were from the Planet Skyron in the Galaxy of Andromeda and that the house is atop an ancient blancmange burial ground, well, disclosing that is probably entirely up to you.

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If the previous owners declared that they were from the Planet Skyron in the Galaxy of Andromeda and that the house is atop an ancient blancmange burial ground, well, disclosing that is probably entirely up to you.

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How long did it take you to come up with that line?

our home has slab issues that I have mentioned in TexAgs before...shower has been rebuilt three times due to leaking caused by that end of the house being lower, garage floor is cracked enough that is sweats like crazy, windows won't open/close, closet walls separated at the corner joints, hot water line popped open in the slab and we had to re-plumb that line to the washer and then across the house to the bathrooms and all of this has happened while we lived here. It was very dry the two summers after building and before we bought it. We have been told to keep all receipts and to make a notarized addendum to the house title explaining all completed work and why it was done...in the event we sell.

RUN, very fast AWAY from this house. You don't owe the seller an explanation but this purchase could be a nightmare. No deadlines, no if/ands or buts..........RUN, end it tomorrow morning!

I'm with her. The only way I'd get involved with a place that needed foundation work was if it was pier and beam construction.

I'm currently buying and selling a house, so I understand. But realize that if a home inspector noted repair, that's probably normal for that area of dallas. Also, home inspectors are always CYA themselves so they don't get sued. They put EVERYTHING in the inspection report. The buyers for my home I'm selling had an inspection and he noted a foundation issue on one girder. I've had THREE different foundation companies look at it and they've all said, "that's cosmetic, not structural. No need to fix it. I wouldn't fix it if that was my house."

So, you might elaborate on what the inspection noted.

I wouldn't run away from a slab repair. In fact, if done right, that house might be a darn sight better off than a non-repaired slab. I own 2 homes. One has had a slab repair. Something on the order of 80 piers. As the man from Church Services said, "we piered the **** out of it, it ain't going anywhere!" Hasn't moved a millimeter in the last drought.

just how do you put 80-piers under a slab house?

i have somewhere in the 60 piers under my slab. one every 3 feet around the exterior and a bunch on the inside. illegals kept the price in 20ks but damn expensive. if its common in the area then be glad its done. my neighborhood is like 80% foundation repair so get one that is or pay for it when it needs it.

I'm not so worried about the foundation itself, im worried about the hit im going to take when I try and sell the house.

This house is a near 4000 sq foot one story. 80 piers easy.