It was ‘a small world’ for a new homeowner in Ohio when he met the same plumber whom the house’s seller had hired several weeks prior. The plumber was there to help with a sewage problem in the basement when he noticed something telling. While feeding a camera down the cleanout, he realized something: “Wait a minute, I was in this exact basement three weeks before you bought the place.”
This plumber then told Netherack_99, the homeowner, a dark secret that his house’s seller probably didn’t want him to know. “The plumber gave him an official written estimate for $18,000 to replace a completely crushed main line under the driveway,” Netherack explained. Apparently, this seller refused the repair and instead opted for a temporary chemical flush as a quick fix during the open house.
If the collapsed sewer line costing $18,000 wasn’t bad enough, Netherack says the seller then lied to buyers by “marking ‘NO’ on the legal seller disclosure form under known plumbing issues.” Luckily for the homeowner, the plumber says his company still has the original $18,000 invoice and camera footage of what the seller didn’t want anyone to see.
Reddit Backs the Homeowner’s Story and Calls Out the Seller for Fraud
In the comments on Netherack’s recount of the situation on r/legal, Redditors said they knew exactly what was going on. “This is literal textbook fraud,” a user wrote bluntly. “The seller knowingly hid a major defect and lied on the disclosure form while you have the exact plumbing company as your star witness.”
“That is the jackpot of real estate lawsuits. Get a lawyer yesterday and sue them into oblivion,” urged another commenter. “That is what my wife keeps saying too, we just need to make sure we do not mess up any procedural steps before filing,” OP wrote in response.
Many people warn Netherack to ensure a real estate attorney is the one to do the filing and legal paperwork, if he wants to maximize his chances of winning. “IMO the plumber’s paper trail is absolute gold, but without a pro handling service of process and spoliation notices, OP risks blowing a slam-dunk win,” cautioned one Redditor.
In the end, the seller’s alleged decision to hire OP’s chosen plumbing company was incredibly serendipitous for the Netherack and his wife. The honest plumber deserves merit as well, as he provided some crucial insight into the $18,000 secret underneath the new homeowner’s house.
