A Missouri couple thought they were having their $680,000 dream home built in the perfect location. They purchased a lot in the gated community of Ocean Hammock, an exclusive community that is accessible by beach or air.
As you can see from the photo, it’s a three-story home with balconies from which to enjoy the impressive view. What a vision! The only problem is that Keystone Builders constructed it on the wrong lot, not the land Mr. and Mrs. Voss bought.
How could this happen? East Coast Land Surveying incorrectly marked off the stakes for the home — and didn’t catch their error during any of the three surveys they conducted during the construction process.
The mistake was finally caught by a different surveyor working in the area, but only after the home had been rented out several times.
“We are in total disbelief,” the Vosses told local media.
Both the Flagler County Home Builders Association and the Flagler County appraiser said that houses built on the wrong property “happen more often than people think.”
Perhaps a trip down to the construction site early in the process is a prudent step for home owners to take. In the case of the Vosses, it will be interesting to find out what happens next.
Source: Housing Wire
Wow, his will make a GREAT story if it all works out well. If not, ouch! I could almost get a stomach ache for them.
That is very kind of you to sympathize, Traci. I expect the builder and home owner will work out a satisfactory solution. The builder has a good reputation to uphold.
OMG! What a nightmare…I agree that a trip early on to check everything out is well worth it.
I hope they have better luck than I did! I had a similar situation happen to me. My house was no where near the price of their home but a dream home is what I thought it to be…until it turned into a nightmare.
I purchased my dream home in 2008, based upon information that was false and misleading by the city, county and also the title company. I found out that there was some major issues with my home the day that I moved in (from my neighbors). My neighbors explained the issues and trauma that they were experiencing after purchasing their home just 2 years before I purchased mine (they ultimately lost their home). The summer and fall after the purchase of my home I went in search of information and answers to what ultimately was described as a “mapping issue” but is best described as a “builders issue,” an issue that turned into a city and county mistake by signing and approving a property that is not correctly standing as planned (my home was built on the wrong lot and the city and county have 2 different maps for the same property). I made phone calls and visited several city and county offices to look for support with resolving this matter. No one wanted to assist me. I was never able to get answers or support from the city and every time that I visited the office to attempt to speak to the person in charge they were either busy, in a meeting or unavailable. I continued to take days off of work and spend time looking for answers to fix this issue to no avail.
Due to the state of the economy there were federal programs that would allow me to refinance but I was denied several times because the home was not built according to the map submitted to the county (as a result I lost my home- due to this lien placed against my property- much like my neighbor). I then took, what I would consider, the next appropriate step and started the process of obtaining the services of an attorney. Only then did I receive contact from a city representative in regards to the property not being placed appropriately.
During this time my attorney filed law suits against each entity that was involved. After waiting a substantial amount of time and several depositions later the cases, one-by-one, were dismissed.
I have been in litigation for the past several years and nothing has come from it but a judgment against me (to pay for lawyer fees). Each corporation and individual was dismissed one at a time and excused from the case. My case was never heard before a jury.
I am stunned by what happened to you! I started to feel hope when you said you hired an attorney, but then reading that the cases were dismissed one by one makes me think there was dirty politics going on. I am so sorry for what happened — it is a travesty!
Thank you for your comment. I agree with that something seems dirty about the whole thing. I am not done fighting just yet. I have submitted some paperwork to the ACLU with the hope that they may see the injustice in the whole thing but it is a stretch.