Couple finds secret moldy room

hipmamajen

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Weird, weird, weird

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=80349

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Kerri and Jason Brown discovered a secret room behind a bookcase containing a homeowner's worst nightmare - mold. Also in the room was a handwritten note: "You found it!"
What the Browns found was a mold problem so serious the previous owner was forced to move, according to the note.

More at link...
 
What are they suing for??? They hired a specialist in order to find this room.
How could anyone expect the agent to know it was there?
 
The previous homeowner should have disclosed that and shame on her for not. That was wrong to sell that house knowing there was a mold problem like that. So the seller and the real estate agency should be held accountable.
 
The previous homeowner should have disclosed that and shame on her for not. That was wrong to sell that house knowing there was a mold problem like that. So the seller and the real estate agency should be held accountable.

I agree about the seller but not about the agent..
 
I am wondering who wrote the note? Was it the previous owners?
 
I agree about the seller but not about the agent..
That is if the agent didn't know, if the agent knew and didn't disclose it then i think she should be, but if she did not know then I agree with you.
 
That is if the agent didn't know, if the agent knew and didn't disclose it then i think she should be, but if she did not know then I agree with you.


I agree.. if she did not know... Based on the story and the people finding the room I am assuming she did not know.
 
We have a secret room behind a bookcase too! It was part of our leaky roof problem last winter. If we hadn't fixed it, this could very well be a secret moldy room. Blech. It's too small to really use for anything and if it molded up we wouldn't know about it. Fortunately we knew about it when we moved in, and check it once in a while. If the water hadn't leaked to the main floor, we probably wouldn't have caught mold growing in the secret room right away.

Is mold one of the problems you have to disclose on that one form (flooding, etc) you are required to fill out when you sell? I can't remember.

Also, it could very well be that the note was put there for someone to find just upon finding the secret room, not necessarily a secret MOLDY room. We've thought about putting little historical family notes in the walls or attic area so people would find them later and know who we were. Haven't done it yet though!
 
The previous homeowner should have disclosed that and shame on her for not. That was wrong to sell that house knowing there was a mold problem like that. So the seller and the real estate agency should be held accountable.

OOps...posted this before you said the same thing. :)

The seller should be responsible- the agent shouldn't unless he/she was aware of the problem.

Taximom-

Mold is definitely something that should be disclosed on the seller's property disclosure form. There is a special section on the forms in my state pertaining to mold and water intrusion. I'm dealing with mold in a house right now. The water intrusion issue has to be remedied though or the mold will keep coming back after it's been dealt with.
 
IF the agent was told they are required by law to disclose any problems with the house. I'm doubting the previous owner told the agent because no agent is going to put their name and career in jeopardy to sell one house-especially considering the house was probably only worth the $75,000 Fannie Mae bought it back for.
 
The previous homeowner should have disclosed that and shame on her for not. That was wrong to sell that house knowing there was a mold problem like that. So the seller and the real estate agency should be held accountable.
It is against the law not to disclose it. The previous owners will be liable. Also, from the note...I bet they can get damages for malicious behavior.:loser: I do not think the agency or the agent should be held liable for this. I am SURE they didn't know. A house valued at 77,000 has a low commission, and certainly not worth losing your license for.
 
IF the agent was told they are required by law to disclose any problems with the house. I'm doubting the previous owner told the agent because no agent is going to put their name and career in jeopardy to sell one house-especially considering the house was probably only worth the $75,000 Fannie Mae bought it back for.
Guess I should have read the whole thread before I answered this. LOL....my post says almost the same thing yours does Missie! I hope you have a wonderful day today. You and your family situation have been in my prayers since reading your thread.
:angel:
 
It is against the law not to disclose it. The previous owners will be liable. Also, from the note...I bet they can get damages for malicious behavior.:loser: I do not think the agency or the agent should be held liable for this. I am SURE they didn't know. A house valued at 77,000 has a low commission, and certainly not worth losing your license for.

The note is a vital piece of evidence in that it establishes that someone in the house's history knew about the mold. More than likely, the realtors will sue the previous owners for not revealing the mold problem.
 
I'm not sure what the law is in S.C., but the agent may be liable as the seller's representative, whether or not the agent knew of the problem.
 
I'm not sure what the law is in S.C., but the agent may be liable as the seller's representative, whether or not the agent knew of the problem.
I don't think so. That is why they have disclosures and inspections. The couple admitted that they didn't have a mold inspection, therefore I doubt that the agent is or the agency could be held liable without proving that they intended to defraud the buyers by not giving full disclosure. I really dont think they did this...just due to the low selling price. No one is going to risk the loss of a business for license for 6% of a house selling in the 70's.
 
Mold is certainly the dirty four letter word here in the CA resale market.

I was selling a rental that I had held for several years. They had already had all inspections and we were about to close. The day before the new owners were taking a final walk through and they opened a kitchen cabinet and saw a spot of black. We called in a specialist and ther was stachy all behind the lower cabs. Apparently the dishwasher had a very very slow leak. Since it was slow there was never water evidence to suggest a problem. but over time it created a nice little breeding ground for the dreaded black stachy.
I ended up having to have the entire house remediated.If you have never seen a house being remdiated it is quite a sight!
While we used a professional to remediate, we did a lot of the cleanup work oursleves and honestly it was a LOT of work.
I also had to rip out the entire kitchen and we split the cost of a brand new kitchen.
 
I'm not sure what the law is in S.C., but the agent may be liable as the seller's representative, whether or not the agent knew of the problem.
They would certainly be sued, no doubt about that. They would have to prove themselves in court and could ultimately prevail.
 
Mold is certainly the dirty four letter word here in the CA resale market.

I was selling a rental that I had held for several years. They had already had all inspections and we were about to close. The day before the new owners were taking a final walk through and they opened a kitchen cabinet and saw a spot of black. We called in a specialist and ther was stachy all behind the lower cabs. Apparently the dishwasher had a very very slow leak. Since it was slow there was never water evidence to suggest a problem. but over time it created a nice little breeding ground for the dreaded black stachy.
I ended up having to have the entire house remediated.If you have never seen a house being remdiated it is quite a sight!
While we used a professional to remediate, we did a lot of the cleanup work oursleves and honestly it was a LOT of work.
I also had to rip out the entire kitchen and we split the cost of a brand new kitchen.
WOW...that is horrible!!!
:razz:
 
I just can't believe they left a note in there, that's so weird! Plus, they obviously can't deny knowledge now!

That would just creep me out...
 

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