Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

There’s a house in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, that’s worth $3 million. It’s been empty for over two years, there’s a large hole in an exterior wall, and the interior is riddled with mold. It originally cost Roman and Jennifer Cosner $219,000 in March of 2005 and was supposed to be their dream house, built to specification of quality materials with a one year warranty. Instead, they got a house full of toxic mold that made them so ill they needed to move out.

The builder, Maronda Homes, promised to fix the problems and pay for their lodging costs. The Cosner’s claim repairs were never made and their lodging never paid for and, in fact, the company treated them with “hatred and ill will.”

Although Maronda ranks fairly high in customer satisfaction and construction quality, it’s been reported that the quality fluctuates from development to development. The Cosner’s house apparently did not pass muster and defects began to appear shortly after they moved in.

The main trouble showed up after a rainstorm sent a cascade of water down the inside of a garage wall and left puddles on the basement floor. Shortly after, it was discovered that one side of the house wasn’t attached properly to the foundation or the other three sides, the wrong windows were installed, and waterproofing and drainage around the foundation was inadequate. Leaks caused by the ill fitting windows coupled with the badly attached south wall encouraged the toxic mold to grow in the basement and in the heating and air-conditioning system.

The judge apparently agreed the situation was an egregious failure of Maronda to provide the promised product and awarded the Cosners $2.2 million in compensation. The jury seconded the judge’s decision by awarding an additional $1million in punitive damages.

When you are looking at a home, make sure you receive full disclosure. If you are a seller, have an inspector give you a full report on everything, even the stuff you didn’t know was in the house. By doing this, both the buyer and the seller avoid the predicament that the Cosners endured.