During the last eight years there have been many homes that sat vacant and then were rehabbed. When the banks obtained the homes they did not get a sellers disclosure and when they sold the homes they could not provide a sellers disclosure for the buyer. In some cases the buyers rehabbed the homes and sold them and those homes are now occupied.
Some of buyers of these rehabbed homes are running into old problems that would normally appear on sellers disclosures. There are roots growing in sewer lines and mold in the walls from water leaks that were fixed long ago, but where never disclosed because there was no disclosure.
There are some things buyers can do to protect themselves:
1. Have a complete home inspection.
2. Pay close attention to the City Truth in Housing inspection report and share it with the home inspector.
3. Look up the home on the city of St. Paul property look-up and look for permits for repairs. There is a lot we can learn by looking at permits or when we find work done without permits.
I am running into properties in St. Paul that have changed hands so many times in the last decade that no one knows much about them. Some were vacant for a few years before they were purchased and rehabbed.
Also see: Things to check in a house that has been rehabbed
