When homeownership joy turns into homeownership hardship
For many, living the American dream means owning a home, but what happens when the home you buy is suddenly worth half of what you paid? Thatâs what some consumers in a Lennar homes subdivision say has happened to them. They are complaining of faulty home foundations that are shifting their homes and causing all sorts of problems.
When homeownership joy turns into homeownership hardship
Friday, October 10, 2008
By Allison Triarsi / 11 News
SPRING, Texas -- For many, living the American dream means owning a home, but what happens when the home you buy is suddenly worth half of what you paid?
Thatâs what some consumers in a Lennar homes subdivision say has happened to them.
They are complaining of faulty home foundations that are shifting their homes and causing all sorts of problems.
âItâs sad, I mean, this is a brand new home and it fell apart,â said Jeryl Bennett.
She paid $134,000 for her home in Spring and she says it was appraised at $77,000.
âI want them to buy back this piece of junk that they sold me,â said Bennett.
She says the problems started showing up four years ago.
Bennett said her roof began sagging and her foundation began cracking.
She said that her attic beams shift and make noise at night and that an engineer she hired warned her about the problems.
âHe said itâs dangerous and its hazardous,â said Bennett.
That engineer reportedly documented that the major structural problem in the home was in the roof.
His documentation also noted significant foundation motion.
Bennett said the report showed that her foundation levels were way off and that there were slopes.
âHe said the foundation underneath here is cracked. Lennar states that itâs not cracked and theyâve been out here 18 times repairing this floor alone,â said Bennett.
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A homeowner in Spring says her brand new home has literally been falling apart and she may not be alone. With cracks all over her floor and the walls, Bennett went to Lennar Homes for help, but Lennar says the home only has minor defects.
They reportedly told her that there are only cosmetic concerns with the roof and that itâs currently functioning as it was originally intended.
As for her front door, Bennett says it opens on its own all the time and that it also happens to the neighbor across the street.
âWeâve tightened it before and it just keeps doing it,â said Bennett.
This Spring resident says that the door wonât shut, and outside, her foundation, has cracks and broken bricks.
âItâs very frustrating. They failed me as a builder,â she said.
Bennett says Lennar cosmetically repaired her foundation, but she and other neighbors in the cul-de-sac are beginning to worry that perhaps thereâs more to the problems.
Lennar plans to find out.
Someone with the company said itâll begin testing Bennettâs soil and foundation to determine if her home really does sit on shaky ground.
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