Home buying nightmare for local resident

Lupe Aguilar, a mother of one, purchased her first home in Yuma back in November after moving from California, looking for a fresh start. However, this wasn’t the case after finding out that the home was plagued with pre-existing conditions that include a leak in the gas line and a roof near collapse.

When Aguilar purchased the home, she financed it through the previous homeowner. She said he didn’t recommend an inspection, typically required by major loan agencies. She said it was something she assumed the seller had requested.

It wasn’t until she called the gas company to set up her gas that she was told of a pre-existing leak in the line.

“I have a gas stove but there was no gas. So for a while, I prayed about it and thought how am I going to do this,” Aguilar said. She has since been using an electric stove-burner as a temporary replacement.

But without a gas line to the house, that means no hot water. “For two months I boiled water to take showers, my daughter refused to do that so I would take her to my friends,” she said.

The recent rains from the remnants of Hurricane Rosa left leaks all over her roof, some parts even caving in from the rain. “I just kind of stay away from there, I am afraid that when I go into the restroom it’s going to fall on top of me,” said Aguilar.

Going through the home buying process, she worked with Diego Torres, a realtor for Re/Max Dreams.

“We go over a number of aspects about the property they can provide to the buyer, but it is also at the option of the seller, at their disclosure. They are obligated by Arizona law to disclose all material facts,” Torres told News 11.

However, Aguilar said none of those pre-existing conditions were disclosed.

“The person that sold me the house didn’t tell me anything,” she said. “I was new to Arizona so I didn’t know what to do, where to go. You need to do an inspection and get an inspector.”

Lupe has already paid nearly $2,000 in repairs and is still trying to seek legal action, as there are still many repairs needed.