Question:
Hello, we purchased a home last year using a VA Loan, and have since found out that the home is riddled with issues that inspection did not disclose, and have had to dig ourselves into very deep debt. We are looking for any kind of help, either legal or VA, but I'm not sure where to start. Paying $150 consult fees for lawyers to just tell us they don't want to get involved has gotten ridiculous. Could you help point us in the right direction for VA Home Services Issues?
Jim's Reply:
You didn't use a VA loan, the VA doesn't make loans. You got a loan from a traditional lender and that has been guaranteed by the VA. It's sometimes called a VA loan only because it's guaranteed by VA.
The VA doesn't have any such thing as "VA Home Services Issues". When we use our VA loan certificate all that does for us is to insure that we get a low interest loan with no down payment. The financing is done by traditional banks and finance companies and VA doesn't participate in any of that. Other than a perfunctory inspection the VA guarantees to the lender that they will be paid if you default and that ends the involvement of VA. If the house burns down next week, VA won't have any say in that.
When we purchase a home it's up to us to do our own due diligence. Rather than depending on an inspector who may be there for 30 minutes we should spend as much time as we can diving deep into records and even paying out of pocket to get opinions from independent trades like plumbers and electricians.
That you've approached any number of lawyers (who make a living taking on disputes by citizens who have been wronged) and nobody wants your case is a bit of a hint that maybe you don't have a case. In other words, you accepted the home in the condition it was in without a warranty and now you get to live with that. That's sort of like buying a car with no warranty, once you're off the lot you own the repairs that may come up.
Not every story has a happy ending, sometimes we regret and pay for our lack of attention to details. Rather than spending more money on lawyers, fix your home and chalk it up as a lesson learned.