Bargains can lure buyers into leaky home morass

House and apartment buyers are unwittingly stumbling into the leaky building disaster, tempted by cheap properties with serious hidden defects.

John Gray, of the Homeowners and Buyers Association in Auckland, said he had just helped a solo mother escape from a deal to buy an Auckland place which needed $80,000 of remedial work, a sum she could never have afforded.

She was oblivious to the dangerous problems hidden behind walls, Mr Gray said, until his organisation stepped in.

He blamed real estate agents and vendors for lying and not telling prospective buyers about leaks.

To read the full NZ Herald story, click here

Posted: 29 Oct 2008

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