Imagine building a brand new, $500,000 home then finding out you can’t live in it.
That’s the nightmare one Lee’s Summit family continues to deal with.
“We were at $557,000, then minus value is negative $172,000. That’s without legal fees, mortgage payments, utility payments and more,” said homeowner Pam Hatcher.
Hatcher and her husband built their dream home and lived inside for only a few months before finding the foundation was flawed. Dozens of cracks appeared within months of moving in.
They filed suit and litigation is pending, but now the neighborhood is threatening to fine them for not keeping their grass green.
“I actually talked to my neighbors, and since I don't have an irrigation system going right now I can't keep green grass,” Hatcher explained. “The only person who doesn't want it like this is the developer, because they're trying to sell $600,000, $700,000 houses behind me."
41 Action News reached out to developer Max Wyss and his attorney Peter Collins, but they declined to comment.
“We are trying to keep our credit good, we are paying the mortgage and we have to pay utilities to keep it in the shape it's in, because of the case,” Hatcher explained.
With the litigation pending and no end in sight, the Hatchers are nearing the end of their rope.
They’re out more than $1 million for a home they can’t live in and now facing potential fines for not following neighborhood protocol.
Hatcher feels the citations are a slap in the face.
“Especially when some of the provisions have to do with structural integrity, being an annoyance and being an embarrassment to your neighbors. And I thought, ‘Really? Really? An annoyance? An embarrassment? Structural integrity?’ When I sit here and have a half million dollar house I can't live in and you're worried about green grass, yeah that's pretty annoying,” Hatcher said.
The Hatchers are set for a scheduling conference with a judge next week. Depositions are planned for June.
