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View Full Version : Foreclosed house, Mold, Who can I tell?



sdmay3
01-24-2006, 11:35 AM
We lost our house to foreclosure in November. We did everything we could to try and keep it. When we found out that gas bills were increasing up to 70% this winter we decided we couldn't keep it any longer because the previous winter our bill averaged $800 a month. (it was a huge old house with two furnaces.

In the end , I guess it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When we were moving out we found black mold growing up an entire wall in one of the rooms. We intended on getting a sample of it and having it tested. We had papers telling us we had to be out of the house completely by January 1st. We went to the house 2 or 3 days prior to that to do some final cleaning and found that the locks had already been changed and all the curtains had been taken down. We contacted the sherrif who had given us our notice and was told to go ahead and turn off the utilities and since we already had all of our stuff out not to worry about cleaning up. (all we wanted to to do was clean the bathrooms and vacuum. Everything else was done).

Now the house is listed with a realtor. They are asking 139,9000. That is WAY MORE than we paid for it in 2001. I am so worried that someone is going to buy the house unnaware of the mold problem. I have had health problems (fibro, chronic fatigue, etc) for the past few years and I wonder now if it was really a reaction to this mold.

I have heard of newborn babies DYING from this type of mold.

But the realtor will not talk to me. The mortgage company bought the house back at the auction so the realtor is working for them. The mortgage company is California and we are in Ohio.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

I also wanted to add....not that it makes any difference. The mold was NOT in a room where you would expect to find it like a bathroom or basement. It was in my husbands office which to our knowledge NEVER even had any kind of leaks in it.

girlwithsoul
01-24-2006, 11:44 AM
Well your house will be sold without a Seller's Disclosure I take it, because it's a foreclosure. However, a Realtor's job is to instruct any buyer to have an inspection done during their option period. They should find it at that point. I wouldn't worry about....this isn't your problem anymore and any good Realtor will make sure that their client has had an inspection done.

sdb_ngc
01-24-2006, 12:07 PM
Call the Health Dept.

PrincessArky
01-25-2006, 04:49 AM
Call the Health Dept.


ITA

just wanted to add that I am sorry you guys lost your home in the first place but who knows maybe it was a blessing

Freebeemom
01-25-2006, 05:26 AM
If the health dept. doesn't respond, write a letter to the editor or your newspaper. Thank you for being honest. Many insurance companies will not cover this "black mold" anymore, and you are correct, it is toxic!

Tasha405
01-25-2006, 06:28 AM
Call the Health Dept.
I agree!

I'm also sorry your lost your house but like you said, it make have been a blessing after all.

hblueeyes
01-25-2006, 08:16 AM
This is where the inspectors will play a big roll. Also the realtor should be made aware of the problem so they can disclose it. Black mold is very bad. It must be carefully and professionally removed. NOT a DIY project.

Me :p

sdmay3
01-25-2006, 09:16 AM
Thanks for your replies.

The realtor has to know it is there. You can see it growing on the wall. We did not know it was there until we moved because we had a tall bookcase against that wall. When we moved the bookcase we found it.

I am afraid that they went in there and cleaned the wall, painted over it, or whatever just to get the house to sell.

We have a few realtors in our town that will do ANYTHING to sell a house and they do not care who they hurt in the process.

EricsnKy
01-28-2006, 09:52 PM
You no longer own the home so you are not responsible to inform anyone of the problem. The bank will not be able to sell the home without first notifying any potential buyers of the problem. As the previous poster mentioned, this will be included in the seller's disclosure. Even if they have corrected the mold problem, they still legally have to notify buyers of a previous mold problem. The bank contracts property management professionals to rectify this problem.

I used to foreclose on homes while working for a national mortgage lender.