Home Buyers Who Get a Post-Closing Lump of Coal
When there are hardwood floors in the closets, you usually expect to find them under the carpet in the adjoining room.
Usually.
The exception, in my experience: 1950’s construction ” often ramblers ” that were built just as high-quality, affordable carpeting took the housing market by storm (think of it as the “stainless” of its day).
Why does it matter?
Nothing’s a bigger bummer for home Buyers, post-closing, then pulling up old carpets and expecting to find pristine hardwood floors ” and instead discovering . . . plywood.
Seller Liability
Unless the Seller represented that there were hardwood floors, they’re typically off the hook.
Ditto for another, related scenario: there in fact are hardwood floors under the carpeting ” but they’re in horrible condition.
P.S.: Which still leaves the question: why bother to put hardwood floors in the closets but not elsewhere??
See also, “I Wonder What’s Underneath the Hardwood Floors.“
