Simple steps can prevent buying a home disaster

Simple steps can prevent buying a home disaster

To avoid legal snarls when buying a new home, inspect the home carefully, check legal descriptions closely, read the title report and don’t rely on real estate agents for legal advice, experts say.

Jessie and John Bates thought they got a real deal on their first home, a newly remodeled rambler they bought in 2007 for $190,000. But over the next 18 months, they experienced a series of problems with the 14-year-old home, including failed plumbing, sodden insulation, black mold and rats.

When they tore up a bathroom to fix corroded pipes, their 8-year-old son Tyler had to be rushed to the hospital with breathing problems.

Finally, the Bateses spoke to neighbors and heard the home had likely been used as a meth lab by previous renters. The couple hired a private company to test for chemical residue. The test, which confirmed their fears, cost $283.