Money & Inheritance·
FOUNDATION FALLOUT
After a Kansas home sale, a disclosed foundation issue sparks a legal clash as buyers demand repairs and threaten counsel, while the seller insists full disclosure was made.
Was the disclosure enough, or should they lawyer up?
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The Kansas home sold on March 21 without a hitch. Then the buyers spotted basement water after a week of heavy rain, and the sale turned into a legal threat.
According to the seller, everything went normally from start to finish. The paperwork was signed, the transaction closed, and the house was handed over. Then, today, the realtor called with bad news: the buyers were extremely upset.
"There was lots of rain last week and I guess the basement had a little water," the poster wrote. That small bit of moisture quickly became a much bigger dispute. The buyers now believe the problem runs deeper than a wet floor. They say "buyers have determined there are foundation issues," and they're pointing the finger at the seller for not being fully upfront.
The accusation is specific: the buyers claim about $14,000 will be needed to fix the foundation, and they're threatening to hire an attorney to try to recover that money.
The seller says that's not the whole story.
"Not only did I disclose everything I knew about the foundation," the poster wrote, "there definitely were some issues." Before the home ever went on the market, a foundation company came out to inspect work that had previously been done. That company said the repair was sound and wrote a letter laying out what had already been completed and what future work might eventually be needed.
The seller says that letter was not tucked away or hidden from view. "This letter was available to the buyers during the entire process," the poster said, adding, "I touched on it again when I filled out the seller disclosure."
That disclosure now sits at the center of the fight. The buyers say the seller should have been more forthcoming about the foundation. The seller says the problem was already disclosed, the inspection letter was available the whole time, and the sale moved forward with that information on the table.
Now the question is what happens next.
The poster's final concern is simple and blunt: "Do you think my butt is covered?" they asked. "Should I be looking for a lawyer?"
For now, the sale is done, the basement has taken on water, and the buyers are threatening to bring in an attorney over a foundation repair they say will cost $14,000.