Sellers told us the wrong year regarding age of house.

[barleygirl]

What do we do now?

We bought our house in 2000, the house was listed as built in 1977, all the disclosures state the house as 1977.  We met the man that was raised in this house last week, he said it was built in 1961?????  where do we go from here?

[tedjr]

You have several options depending on who sold you the property. If you bought thru a Realtor there would be an insurance  for errors and ommissions of the Realtor. If you bought directly from the owner he could give you back some or all your money.

Do you still like the house or do you want to move out because it is older than you thought ?

You probably do not want to take something like this to court by sueing the previous owner or Realtor. Damages if actual would be hard to determine. Is the house worth less because it is older. If it is in good condition, remodeled etc house could last 100 years or so. Attorneys charge thousands to handle a claim like this and you may not even win much if you win at all. I am sure that the seller probably did not even know when the house was actually built either and did not try to commit fraud.

I just do not see any reason to do much. The movie Liar Liar comes to mind when the parking lot dude scratched Jim's car.

Thank you,

Ted P. Stokely Jr
11505 Sw Oaks
Austin, Texas  78737

512-301-9171 home
512-587-6177 mobile

[gerald]

Toilet manufacturers are required to put the date on their product. I don't know why. But if you look inside the tank you will find the month and year molded against the back wall of the tank. The date will usually be less than a year earlier than the home completion date (allowing for inventory movement by the builder's supplier.)

Of course, on an older home if the toilet was replaced you're out of luck.

[StacyKellams]

Why didn't your appraiser or title company catch the mistake? It's pretty hard to hide the true age of a home.

[barleygirl]

Our neighbor said they just got away without paying taxes until 1977.  I don't know, and at this point don't think there is anything to pursue, as we do love the house, got a great deal, and have just accepted the fact.  I didn't know if it would be appropriate to go after anyone regarding all the repairs and upgrades we have put forth into this house, but again we like it and really don't want to stir the pot.  As for the appraisal and Title Co., I don't know why, maybe they didn't think to question it.  Nothing has ever been questioned, someone did mention their house was built in 1977 and had a more updated look and a newer floor plan, other than that, we never questioned it.

Thank you for all your replies,  I didn't know if it was "ethical" to ask for the repair and updated cost that we have endured.

[furnishedowner]

Toilet tank lids get broken and replaced all the time and are not a good way to date a house.

When I sold real estate in California, estimated dates were often off by decades.  My feeling was that homeowner's insurance was more costly and difficult to get for older homes.  So if the agent said, "When was your home built?" and you replied, "I don't know," then the agent, who hadn't even seen the place, would just guesstimate.  Appraisers didn't have a clue about building styles, so 1920's and 1930's bungalows would get labeled 1950.

I don't understand why a 1961 house would be inferior to a 1977 house.  There was some bad wiring built into a lot of 1970's-era housing.  Both would have drywall, not lath and plaster, similar roofing material, etc.  It's more about the maintenance and improvements than about the age of a house.

Furnishedowner

[BLL]

There's nothing you can do unless you can prove damages.