Year: 2017

The litigator I have been working with determines that taking action against the Seller for real estate fraud is not a problem, even with the Disclosure Waiver. However, during the purchase process, the Seller also asked me to agree to arbitration, which my realtor also coached me into. My particular agreement only allowed me to approach the Seller with disputes within 24 months from purchase.

In other words, if I had taken action sooner, I would have been able to make 1 claim against the Seller. However, I would never have been able to dispute every item, as some of them were not discovered until more than 24 months after purchase.

I am infuriated that I had been given bad advice by my realtor and bad legal advice by previous attorneys.

Years of ongoing repairs have accumulated lots of stress and debt. We desperately need a break, so we decide not to take on any large projects this year. Instead, we will use 2017 to pay down debt from house repairs.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the basement will remain dry until we can afford to install drain tile and a sump pump in 2018. Once that major mechanical issue is solved, we can think about re-finishing the basement.

Our story is featured on WCCO once again, this time pointing out the work we have been doing to establish homebuyer protections at the state level.

Continuous rains cause basement flooding yet again. As we have seen in the past, the hydrostatic pressure in the hard clay soil beneath the foundation causes water to push up through the cracks in the concrete floor. This happens in every area of the basement, but most of the heavy flooding is localized to the southeast corner.

I spend the night removing 315 gallons with a shop vac.

We were considering the need for a drain tile and a sump pump, but wasn’t sure if it’s necessary. It is now abundantly clear that we must have drain tile. This changes all our of plans. It will mean more planning, more debt, and redoing some of the work we’ve already done.

To start with, we’ll have to empty the basement. Where will our storage go?

I decide to build a proper work bench in the garage to store and use our tools. I’m able to get the basic framing together in one evening.

The upcoming drain tile project means we’ll have to completely empty the basement. We’ve been using a basement closet as a makeshift tool cabinet that will need to be emptied as well. This new storage will come in handy.

I finish the work bench surfaces and tool pegboard.

I add some shelving above the pegboard, completing the work bench, and maximizing storage on the south wall of the garage.

With this, I’m able to empty much of the basement in preparation for the drain tile project.

We decide to take a break from basement prep, and do a little backyard landscaping project. Amáda uses the river boulders and mulch for her garden borders. Meanwhile, I use the retaining wall blocks as a dressing around the longest leg of the deck.