One thing goes right, others go wrong

by Nosferatu 8 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nosferatu

  I didn't know whether to put a thumbs up on this or thumbs down.

  Today we got our house!!! I haven't seen it yet but the wife has. The keys weren't delivered by the time we took posession, so we got a locksmith in there to break in and change the locks. We're going to be re-imbersed. The previous owners have to pay for their screw up.

  Now, onto the bad stuff. Apparently, there's a whole bunch of junk left in the back yard (old refridgerators and such). The carpet's all messed up. There's a hole cut in the bathroom wall. They took all the lightbulbs (how cheap can you get???) There's an old barber chair in the front yard.

  To top all this off, my last rent cheque bounced, and I gotta pay them the rent, plus an additional $35. I HATE using cheques. I'm guessing they took out the rent after I made the down payment. What a pissoff.

  Sorry, had to vent.
• 

  Nosferatu

  Some other stuff I forgot to mention, apparently there was a welcoming shit sitting in the toilet. They also took all the lightbulbs.
• 

  Odrade

  Geez, what a mess. But consider yourself lucky. At least they are out, and you are in. Plus all that stuff can be cleaned or fixed.

  When we bought our house, it was left "move-in ready" and it really was pretty clean. But there was a whole dumpster worth of construction debris in the side yard, several rolls of 30 year old carpet in the garage attic, and the whole family room carpet was all peed up from the previous owner's dog. It was a pain, but it's nice now.

  Congrats on the house!

  O
• 

  Quotes

  Talk to your lawyer to find out what, if anything, is actionable.
• 

  Elsewhere

  Yup... I've moved into houses like that before. At first it is nasty as hell, but over time as you fix it up it will turn into your home. It just take a lot of elbo grease.

  Experience has taught me is that you should not try to salvage anything that was left behind. All of the old cans, containers, tools, appliances etc. should all be thrown out. Don't save any of it. Doing this you end up with a clean slate that is ready for you to work with... anyway trying to sort through all of the junk takes a lot longer than just throwing it all out. If you save any of the old junk your house will still have the old-junk look.

  Throw it all out!

  Also the yard... if you don't have a weed-eater then go rent one for a day and just go nuts with it in the yard! (After you have hauled off all of the junk) Spare nothing but the trees! When you are done the yard will so much more open.
• 

  Sassy

  Both times I purchased a home/or property, I ran into a mess to clean up too.. the last time I tried to make the guy come clean it up, or I was goign to charge him for the clean up. Well he did come clean some of it up, but I still was left with a whole lost of mess/garbage to get rid off..

  But congrats on the new home. Once you have this taken care of, I am sure you'll enjoy having a place of your own instead of paying rent!
• 

  hillbilly

  Nos... dont sweat the small stuff....and it's all small stuff. Besides, the first 70 years are the worst!

  -----------------Hill
• 

  Scully

  The keys weren't delivered by the time we took posession, so we got a locksmith in there to break in and change the locks. We're going to be re-imbersed. The previous owners have to pay for their screw up.
  

  Now, onto the bad stuff. Apparently, there's a whole bunch of junk left in the back yard (old refridgerators and such). The carpet's all messed up. There's a hole cut in the bathroom wall. They took all the lightbulbs (how cheap can you get???) There's an old barber chair in the front yard

  If you got this house through a real estate agent, call them ASAP and let them know the state of the place at the time of occupancy (preferably before you move any of your own possessions into it), and tell them that if the previous owners don't take care of it, you will be holding them accountable. Then call a reputable Building Inspector and spend $250 - $300 on getting a written Inspection Report of all the deficiencies. Take lots of pictures. Save receipts for everything involved in the clean up of the place, including replacement of the lightbulbs, carpet cleaning (or replacement), fixing holes in the walls, painting, etc. Document and inventory EVERYTHING that you had to do in order to make the house suitable for you to move in. Take pictures of that too. If you decide to sue the jerks for your trouble, your documentation will be a very valuable tool in making your case.

  You have a reasonable expectation to take possession of a house that is in suitable living condition, not some place that was used as the previous owner's excuse for taking a $h!t-fit on the way out the door at your expense.

  Oh, and next time you buy, seriously consider having the house inspected before you finalize the offer.

  Congratulations! You're a homeowner!

  Love, Scully
• 

  Nosferatu

  Talk to your lawyer to find out what, if anything, is actionable.

  The contract stated that all the appliances are included. I guess that includes the junk ones that were still there.

  Scully, I have no clue what it looks like yet, or what my wife has already done. I'll find out in about 45 minutes. My wife is the one who looked at it and relayed what she saw. I have yet to see it for myself. The barber chair might make a good TV watching chair. All it needs is a beer holder, and a place for the remote control :)