• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Bad Roof. Can we go after seller?

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

riomom

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? New Mexico

My name is Melissa. I hope someone can help.
We purchased our first home July 07. 5 months later we get a heavy snow storm and the roof starts leaking in practically every room. We call out our insurance company and they send out an inspector who states the roof was an existing condition and not due to storm. He stated "the roof has only been badly patched since it was built 30 years ago"

My husband loses his job and all hell breaks lose. Our main goal is to survive and not lose everything we own and end up in the streets. We struggle like this until just two months ago when my husband got a job. Luckily we had $4000 saved up and thats how we managed to survive on my paycheck alone. Needless to say, the roof was put on hold.

Now that we are finally getting on our feet we are wondering what options we have. Can we take the seller, realtor, inspector or our realtor to small claims court? We don't have enough to get an attorney.

What options do we have? Since we have moved into this house we have repaired walls, plumbing, electrical, removed an old refridgerator she left behind and think we have a termite problem as well. We paid top dollar for the home. It was not sold as a fixer upper. In fact, it was the most expensive home in the area.

Thanks ahead of time.
 


CraigFL

Member
What did your home inspector say about the roof when it was inspected before you bought the house/

What did the seller disclosures say about the roof when you saw it?
 

nextwife

Senior Member
Yes, it really depends upon what was known and stated about the roof.

I, for example, bought a 1951 house that still had it's second roof. I KNEW it had an old roof when I bought it, and knew the roof was at the end of it's functional life. And the sellers priced accordingly. So I bought the house KNOWING that I would/should plan on replacing the roof. The furnace was original. Again, when the furnace "went" it was anticipated, because it was past it's functional life in age.
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top