Legality involving purchase

[serenityacres]

We bought our home 4 years ago, it was for sale by owner. We were fools. the place looked great, it was a Four Seasons, doublewide 1998. Now we are getting ready to sell it. have people interested, but we have a problem. The floor is rotting under the furnace. tommorow I will be tearing out the linoleum, to see how much floor we have to rip out and replace. it's obvious this has been going on a long time. The water heater is next to the furnace, looks like it's the culprit. When we bought this place we didn't have a disclosure from the owner, he was an a### to deal with. He had rugs over the affected area, which is right when you walk in the back door, the back hallway. (country people use the back door) Do we have any recourse with the former owner? We are tapped out financially, and will have to do this ourselves. My husband works alot of hours, so it falls on me.

[rmurray]

I doubt you have any recourse..Maybe if you could PROVE the seller knew abvout the problem and decieved you..Floor peoblems in this area are common...You are right the water heater Might be the problem..but maybe the backdoor, furnace stack or a/c coil in the furnace can also be the culprit. If it was bad when you bought the home, you would have noticed long ago...You will have to move forward and fix the problem..Floor damage can be a big job but plenty possible to fix..If you do it your self (maybe your hubby can get a day off) it will not cost much to repair...You might want to invest in the video here in the bookstore that is devoted to floor repair..You will find it here..

Floor Repair Info Kit


With the video maybe all your hubby will need is 1/2 day off....

[serenityacres]

Right now we can't even afford the book. We have no choice but to wait til my husband can take off work. Then we have to get someone in here to unhook the furnance, because the major holt in the floor is directly under it. so the furnace has to come out. We'vew been racking our brains, trying to figure out a way to shor up the furnace so the wood can be slipped umderneath. But the washer/dyer, furnace and water heater are all right there. fun.

[admin]

I dont think that you were foolish. Your home was built in 1998 that is close to ten years ago and you have owned it for four years. After either length of time any structure... site or factory built... residential or commercial can require some repair and or maintenance. As the prime damage is directly under the furnace the problem is likely coming from a leak in the furnace roof vent. If you think the water is coming from the water heater open the compartment and make a close inspection.

Regardless of what type roof or water heater you home has it would not be unusual after ten years for either to require attention.

Before you do anything you MUST stop the source of the water. If there is no water in the water heater compartment you may need to remove the furnace or go up on the roof to see if the problem is in fact the roof vent. If this is so you will need to re-seal the roof vents, not just the one over the furnace... while your at it is time to seal around all of them. If that is the only problem with the roof your looking a cheep fix.

You must do regular repairs and maintenance on any building. It would not be very unusual after ten years for your roof to require additional maintenance, repair or for the water heater to need replacement.

See the free article Time to do something about your Roof ?

I do understand that the shortage of funds can be a big problem in taking care of your home. Unfortunately water leaking in the home even in tiny amounts can cause substantial damage. The longer you wait the more damage your home will sustain.

If you can't turn to friends and/or family for assistance you might want to consider refinancing to get the funds to make the repairs. As you have a buyer for the home you will be able to repay this loan as soon as you close on the sale.

[serenityacres]

Thanks, David, We found out that the coils, (condensation) is clogged somehow, it's suppose to run thru the hole in the floor, but something is clogged. so we know now there is suppose to be a hole there, and that because the hose is clogged, it did damage the surrounding floor. Looks as though we should be able to cut away the damged floor without taking out the furnace (thank you Lord). It doesn't appear that the water heater is leaking. But we will leave the cover's off everything to dry out and watch what's going on till we can repair. (we already refinanced once) but it will be less of a chore then what we thought.

[rmurray]

Glad it is turning out not as bad as it could have...A/C drains commonly have problems...algea grows in the drain pipe and dries up in the winter and clogs them often...I put dry pool chlorine in mine at least twice a year..It kills the algae and helps keep the line clear...It could also be that the fins of the coils need cleaning...professional HVAC folks use a strong acid bath to clean them being careful not to bend the fins..

Good Luck with the project...