I just sold my two family home in central New Jersey. I bought a single family home in roughly the same area. It’s a very popular and desirable neighborhood that warrants excellent rents or resale. My plan was to move in and stay for a few years and then turn it into a rental income property.

Three days after closing I’m finding all these issues with the home; this home had a full renovation roughly 13 years ago its not a fixer. It seems there were things that were overlooked in inspection and could have also not have been disclosed by the seller. These repairs could amount into the double digits to fix. I can’t get any cooperation from the inspector or from the lawyer that handled my closing. Has this happened to anyone? If so, who was able to help?

One thing that will be important to know is what are the disclosure requirements in your state? Was this purchased off the MLS so you had a real estate agent helping with the purchase? If so, that person should be able to help you understand the disclosure requirements which may be much less than you are expecting.

Also, what were the one or two biggest issues you found? 

@Andrew Canepari

It depends on what the items are. The rehab was 13 years ago so it's not recent. That doesn't excuse the poor quality. Trying to prove that someone was deceitful is difficult to provide. It depends on the items. Not everything can be caught on an inspection. What are the items you are dealing with and we can offer some input.

@Andrew Canepari I am sorry to hear you are going through something like this. In addition to what others have recommended, if the property was sold "As Is" then there are not a lot of options to go after. I think it is important to identify what are those issues. Are they major like asbestos, mold, structural damages etc then you have to go after the inspection company that performed the homeowner's inspections. Perhaps talk to your attorney, send them a certified letter asking them to reach out to you since there are several concerns that you would like discuss with them. 

Your post was way too detailed for me to give an opinion. 

@Kenneth Garrett , @Vanessa Regalado ,@Shera Gregory

The problems are in the finished basement.  I looked under the sink in the laundry area and saw a black stain on the drywall.  I pressed on it and my hand went through. That led to taking down all the drywall and discovering that the french drain they  “put around the entire perimeter” only goes 3/4 the way around.  The water leaking in looks to be a broken sewer main that leads to the street.  I find it hard to believe the previous owner didn’t know about this. How didn’t the inspector look under the sink to check the plumbing or notice the cuts in the floor for the french drain stop and then pick up on the other side of the the basement?  

This was not an as is purchase and they did disclose a water problem that was “fixed” by installing a french drain.