Q: What can I do moving forward? Legal aid told me they don't have the resources to handle real estate issues.
I purchased my home 17 months ago. Nowhere in the sellers disclosure did it talk about any major issues with the home whatsoever. However I've now come to find out it has major foundation issues that need to be repaired or it will continue to sink into the ground. I had a contractor come out to confirm this. Quoted well above 30k. My neighbor came over and is who brought it to my attention that my house had this issue. She said she spoke with the seller prior to me buying and they told her about the issue. She was surprised it wasn't disclosed to me. I did hire an inspector before buying but he noted on his report that he was too large to fit into my crawlspace. So from just an outside view he apparently didn't see it. He also wrote that he thought it was "odd" that they put a wood trim around the bottom of my house. Which I now believe they did to hide what was going on underneath. Its my first house. My big issue aside from that is I don't have thousands to put into an attorney.
A: The best use of what money you have now would be to fix the foundation. Going after the seller could be a fools' errand if all you have to go on is the neighbor saying they talked about it. You'd need more proof than that. Also, even if you were successful, you might get a judgment against them, which is pretty meaningless unless they have money or assets to satisfy the judgment.
Kenneth V Zichi agrees with this answer
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