We just wanted a house....

This story begins with Lorri and Lisa, two first-time home buyers, moving from New York to Western Pennsylvania to take care of their elderly mothers. Having grown up in quite modest circumstances, neither had the slightest experience selling or buying property. Fortunately (or so they thought) one of them had done some babysitting years before for a child of Roslyn Neiman, a well-known Pittsburgh real estate agent in the employ of Howard Hanna, a firm of the highest scruples -- or at least that's what they'd like everyone to believe.

And so Lorri and Lisa signed on with Roz Neiman, confident she would never steer them wrong (oh no, never). Roz quickly worked on gaining their trust, sending them listings of prospective homes, complete with brief, and very candid, evaluative notes in her own hand. Several houses on the list were just "awful", another sported a "disgusting plan" but if a house was termed a "DOG" -- as several were, even some represented by other Howard Hanna agents -- we knew for sure to stay away. (See the document below, in Roz's own handwriting describing houses as "dogs" and the like.)  Thankfully Roz had taken us under her wing and provided confidential information about properties we felt fortunate to have.  

Here's what we ended up buying.  It looked so nice... on the surface.  So long as you didn't look under the cover-ups that were used to pull the wool over our eyes.  After we took ownership of the House of Horrors, though, everything changed... water damage, extensive feline urine damage, mouse and pest infestations, bowed foundation, multiple structural defects -- all concealed quite handily. 

In late April, Roz introduced Lorri and Lisa to 211 Hunt Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Roughly two months later (June 15), with the active encouragement of Roz Neiman, dual agent and a client of Mark Exler through his family-owned accounting practice, Lorri and Lisa reluctantly agree to forego the home inspection in order to expedite the sale. 

As she had on at least one potential purchase before this one, Roz urgently informed us that if we insisted on keeping an inspection, the whole deal would fall through, knowing that we were running out of options and preying on our vulnerability.  Then she vociferously argued that Mr. Exler was trustworthy, that she knew this because he was her longstanding accountant, and that she knew personally that 211 Hunt Road was “a great house” and that any problems we may find would undoubtedly be minor.

See below for Roz Neiman's descriptions of other houses (some for which she was herself the SELLING AGENT, and others for which her colleagues at Howard Hanna were the agents).  

Question:  If Roz Neiman is selling your house, is she describing it as a "dog" -- 

or "disgusting" or a "total gut" -- to prospective buyers?  

Competing agents -- How is Roslyn Neiman describing your listings to her clients?  

Something to think about...

So guess who ended up getting the REAL "dog" of all the houses Roslyn Neiman knew about?  Us, that's who.  And guess which house was really "disgusting" and in need of a "total gut"?  Yeah.  The one Roslyn Neiman pushed on us, that's what.

Hey -- Thanks, Roz, for all of your help!

Or just maybe not . . .

Don't Let This Happen To You (Some Warning Signs of Fraud)

If you’re a first-time buyer, or even an experienced buyer, be on the lookout for signs of fraud and make sure to protect yourself the best you can from predatory experiences like the one we had.  And if you're dealing with Roslyn Neiman of Howard Hanna Real Estate, please be especially careful!  As in, our opinion is that you should seek another agent quicker than you can say "snake in the grass."  

Here are some warning signs.  If you experience even one of them, think twice about the deal, check the facts, and make sure your sellers and real estate agent are being honest with you.  If you experience more than one of them… be very, very careful.  If you experience more than three, you should consider running — not walking — away from the deal.  Here are some red flags that should make your Spidey Sense quiver with doubt.

• Is “your” real estate agent also working for the other side as a dual agent?
• Is the seller in a hurry to seal the deal?  Are you being pressured to close?
• Have any surprises been sprung on you along the way?  Don’t rationalize them away.
• Has anyone discouraged you from getting a home inspection?
• Does anything feel wrong?  Anything at all?

Trust your instincts.   

If something smells wrong, it probably is. 

Take your time, and be careful out there.

Closing Day Is Supposed To Be Fun!

July 21 - Closing is held at Howard Hanna’s Shadyside location. Lisa Siranovich presides, assisted by another woman. Roz arrives late, without keys, garage door openers, etc. She confesses she never had keys, only codes, which she gives to Lorri and Lisa on a piece of paper. When they arrive at 211 Hunt Road, all appliance manuals and warranties are gone from kitchen drawer where they had previously been. The kitchen faucet which previously had been in working order was spraying water. One of the kitchen cabinets falls off upon opening, as well as a shelf crashing down. 

Wish we'd had better information about when a real estate agent is lying and sellers are trying to defraud you.  Here's some information for you, so you can hopefully avoid what happened to us.  And if you live in the Pittsburgh area and are looking to buy a home, our advice is -- avoid Roslyn Neiman like the plague.  Go somewhere besides Howard Hanna.  Protect yourself.

Warning Signs of Real Estate Fraud

8 Signs You Have a Bad Real Estate Agent

Cabinet doors falling down on our heads?  Lies and misrepresentations wrecking our lives

Ouch!!! Thanks Roz!!

Lies, Lies, and Damned Lies (Barracuda)

July 2 - While on the "perfect patio" (not), Lisa remarks on the bribe that Mark Exler offered to Roslyn Neiman (by her own admission in a sworn deposition, she was bribed) to “push his house” on Lorri and Lisa, saying it was indicative of his character. Roz, in a panicked and defensive tone: “But I didn’t TAKE it!  (We're not so sure.)  Sandy, her lawyer husband, says “Oh, everybody does that.”  Really, Sandy?  Everybody is engaged in bribery?  Not where we come from.

After walking through the house and discovering more damage, Lorri and Lisa call Roz. Roz stammers that she had only gone into the basement. However, the tassel from the shoes she was wearing demonstrate that she was lying then, too -- the tassel from her shoe was found just outside the living room. 

Lorri and Lisa’s movers are scheduled to arrive on July 9. They are supposedly "permitted" to store their belongings in the home that they have been insuring and powering for 9 days. After Mark Exler arrives at the house with his latest unreasonable demands, Lorri and Lisa meet the movers at the end of the driveway and ask them to transport their things to a storage facility, unwilling to trust their belongings not to be harmed while still in a house legally owned by a nasty crazy person.

We discover that two of the kitchen cabinets were apparently sabotaged by removing 2 of 3 screws holding the brackets, causing 2 shelves to fall, nearly falling on Lisa's face.  Once again, the house puts us in danger, and it seems intentional.

We also find a bullet in the kitchen cupboards -- a message from Mark Exler?

And then, another message -- "Fuck U" scrawled inside a kitchen drawer.  Could these people be any more childish, or more brutal?

July 25, Lorri and Lisa visited Fox Chapel Borough Office, confirming that there was an addition undisclosed by the seller. 

July 30, after receiving the home inspection reports, Lisa, then Lorri phones Bill Aiken, co-owner of Howard Hanna. Bill offers no assistance, concluding their grievance is with the sellers alone. Lorri asks Bill to have Helen Hanna call. He says he will do so, though she is vacationing and would be way for the next week.  (She never calls.)

August 2 - Lorri asks for seller disclosures from sale of 211 Hunt Road to the Exlers (which was also handled by Howard Hanna agents) from Bill Aiken. Bill agrees to check storage and get back with Lorri, after first expressing doubt that Howard Hanna even handled the sale.  Guess what?  Bill never provides the documents. 

August 17 - upon advice of Howard Hanna's counsel, Roz sent Lorri and Lisa’s many questions to Mark Exler's attorney, Jonathan Kamin, via email with no response. At Lorri’s request, Roz promises to forward a copy of unanswered email for Lorri and Lisa’s records. Counsel further advises Roz that she has an ongoing fiduciary obligation to both buyers and sellers and is thereby supposedly prohibited form visiting 211 Hunt Road to observe the fraud that has been perpetrated on the buyers. Roz expresses powerless regret, and reassures us that she’s there for them personally and emotionally.  Yeah, sure.

August 29 - Lorri and Lisa have an appointment with Scott Brown for a full home inspection. This visit provided a platform for more revelations regarding Roz’s double-dealing. Scott tells us that Roz came out to 211 Hunt Road on the day of his stucco inspection and instructed him not to test all the windows, claiming that we didn’t want him “poking holes in the house” -- an outright lie, since we expressly told her that we DID want the substrate testing that required a few small holes in the siding. 

According to Scott, Roslyn Neiman also tried to get him to state that we didn’t actually need the costly sill pans to remediate moisture, for which Exler would be required to pay. Scott refused, since he couldn’t make that recommendation without first testing all the windows -- which of course Roz had instructed him not to do.  Unsurprisingly (nothing is surprising at this point), Roz told us none of this. Instead, she merely reported to Lorri that "Scott wondered why you hadn’t called him."  Scott reports he said no such thing. Any shred of hope we had clung to regarding Roz’s fealty or professional ethics is now dashed.

November 14 - as Russ is assessing the flooring situation, talks with Lorri about his personal experience with Roz and her reputation as a real estate agent. “If you ask anybody in the real estate business who the  most crooked real estate agent in the area is, they’d tell you Roz Neiman.” In his opinion, she behaves like a shark, always circling, looking for prey; then he said: "She's a barracuda. Every deal is about her and her money; she won’t let anything get between her and her money."  

This is of course diametrically opposed to Roz’s self-presentation. She repeatedly stated she didn’t care about the money, she wanted her clients to be happy, even saying she "wouldn’t let [us] buy Hunt Road if it wasn’t a 'good house'”.  Yeah, okay.  Sure, Roz.  You're a liar and we don't believe you anymore.  Sorry we ever did, but you play a good game when you have to, don't you? 

Remember that song by Heart called "Barracuda"?  Oh yeah, that's a good one... take a listen (click below).  "And if the real thing don't do the trick, you better make up something quick; you gonna burn it out to the wick, aren't you... Barracuda?"   Full lyrics after the jump.  They seem to fit Roslyn Neiman of Howard Hanna Real Estate to a tee.

BARRACUDA (by Heart) 

So this ain't the end, I saw you again today

Had to turn my heart away

You smiled like the Sun, kisses for everyone

And tales, it never fails!

You lying so low in the weeds

Bet you gonna ambush me 

You'd have me down, down, down to my knees

Wouldn't you, Barracuda?

Back over time when we were all trying for free

Met up with porpoise and me

No right no wrong you're selling a song, a name

Whisper game

If the real thing don't do the trick

You better make up something quick

You gonna burn it out to the wick

Aren't you, Barracuda?

"Sell me sell you" the porpoise said

Dive down deep to save my head

You, I think you got the blues too.

All that night and all the next

Swam without looking back

Made for the western pools, silly fools!

If the real thing don't do the trick, no

You better make up something quick

You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn it out to the wick

Ooh, Bara-Barracuda?

Glad she was taking such good care of us… (Not.) 

Thanks, Roz!!

You make me sick... (No, really -- they made us sick!)

July 22 - both Lorri and Lisa began feeling sick with headaches and sore throats. Symptons persist on July 23 after spending time in the house. They only subside when spending the night away from 211 Hunt Road. July 31, Lisa has a bloody nose, still spotting from nostrils August 1. Lisa’s nose continues to bleed August 2. 

August 3-7 Lisa is sick with sore throat, fever and chills, along with more blood from left nostril. Lorri continues to suffer from headache, exhaustion, facial rash.

August 8 Lisa continues to exhibit the same symptoms as in prior days with Lorri doing better.

August 15, Lorri continues to suffer from facial rash and daily headaches. Lisa continues to experience bronchial difficulties and nausea. August 16, Lorri looks particularly bad today, her eyes are red, itchy and swollen and her low-grade headache and fatigue persist. 

What are the symptoms of toxic mold exposure?  Read all about it here.

See, they use BIOHAZARD suits to remove mold-infested materials.
That can't be a good thing for those of us without spacesuits.

You make us sick!  (No, really -- you made us sick!)  Thanks Roz!!

And the water kept rolling in...

Complete home inspection by Three Rivers Inspection reported water damage in the basement, living room and rotunda on July 28. While attempting to clean on August 9, nearly all nail heads come right off when removal was attempted along the wall that Joel with Quality Air Works indicated had sustained severe (undisclosed) water damage. Nails removed were in two parts and rusted. Dry wall in that area is separated from the floor and puckering in places. 

Our $800K "living room."  Not much living could be done here. 

August 11, Rick Fountain (waterproofing) visits to assess problems by Russ with Three Rivers Inspection. Rick finds 1’ of standing water in sump pump in basement behind paneling. Pump is non-functional and needs to be replaced.  Of course, it would have been impossible not to notice this when the sewer lateral work was being done, insofar as the pump was in the corner where the sewer connection was made. 

Here's a guide to dealing with sump pump problems, and here's a picture of what a normal sump pump looks like.  Ours didn't look like this.  The walls don't have any mold on them, so it can't be ours!

Rick anticipates installing two French drains to prevent further water damage in rotunda and basement. He also confirms that French drains would have been added to the property in response to moisture problems inside the home. He also advises we consult a stucco specialist to address moisture damage beneath glass block. 

When Todd Swann and partner Stuart visited 211 Hunt Road August 12 to determine the best way to proceed, both emphasized the need to deal with health & safety issues first, including water damage. They point out the same place that Russ with Three Rivers Inspection pointed out around the outside front where moisture has likely seeped into the house. 

September 2 - Rick Fountain replaces broken, rotted, stinking sump pump with used one that functions. Also provides estimate for necessary waterproofing. 

October 1 - Joel and crew demolish kitchen and tear out dry wall in living room, identify longstanding problems with the plumbing that explain the dishwasher that doesn’t wash and the faucet that sprays the kitchen. They point to additional places where there has been water and other damage undisclosed by the Exlers as well. 

Joel also confirms that a wall in the living room has sustained water damage and further ascertains that it was not properly repaired. This area will need to be repaired and waterproofed as soon as possible to prevent further damage. 

October 26 - Lorri calls Steve Orlando -- the guy who the Exlers hired to to do the lousy sewer lateral work that began our saga -- regarding the sinking trench outside. He indicates it is too late in the season to do further buttressing, but promises to return in the spring to complete the necessary repairs.  (He never does.)

Rick Fountain and crew begin installation of the French drain on October 31. As predicted, the drain installed by the Exlers had been done so improperly, absent such crucial elements as moisture barriers to keep water from seeping through the soil and into the house and means of directing water in the opposite direction.

Here's a little guide on French drains -- when you need them, what they do, how they work.  We had never heard of a "French drain" before buying this monstrosity of a house.

November 3, Dave, from Mr. Handyman, is sent to complete the living room drywall project. He discovers evidence of profound and extensive water damage to left living room wall that appears clearly to have been masked by the Exlers. He finds the stench overwhelming and the work consequently unsavory and difficult. There is clear evidence of recent repairs to wood framing behind drywall as newer wood is juxtaposed against much older wood.The entire length of the wall had been replaced with new sheathing and framing, which was itself already saturated with water and laden with mold, again due to the lack of proper drainage and water barriers. There is newer, cheaper insulation, much of which is moldy, abutting older, higher quality insulation. Dave notes that wood was replaced from the outside, and that entire wall of stucco was replaced at the same time. He also uncovered wood rot and mold in the same location that prior contractors have indicated had sustained water damage. 

Mike Nick, technician, reported “They have a pipe leaking (growing green crap) coming from the water heater on the right.”

November 4 - Dave continues work on the living room, completing removal of water damaged and urine-saturated materials and application of industrial strength sealant intended to prevent any remaining odors from penetrating surfaces. 

November 7-10:  Rick Chase uncovers more concealed water damage as newer floor board placed by patio entrance and rotted wood by windows in the kitchen. 

November 13 brings more rain, which is more rainwater in the entryway.

Water, water everywhere... and not a drop to... Oh, hell.  Thanks Roz!!

Not just mold... TOXIC mold!

July 6 - Lorri visits 211 Hunt Road with Roz and her husband, Sandy, also an attorney. Lorri takes photographs of what appears to be mold in a basement storage room, which had previously been hidden behind suitcases and other items prior to the sale.

Upon being asked about this mold-appearing substance, Roz says:  "That's not mold.  That's just some staining!"  Despite repeated questions, Roz maintains that this is "not mold," that she's seen mold before and this is definitely NOT mold! 

July 22 - Upon cleaning the house after purchase, Lorri and Lisa began to feel sick, continuing to be ill whenever they are in the house and feeling relatively better only when they do not stay overnight. 

July 28 - Complete home inspection determines toxic mold is present in various locations, in varying types and colors. 

"That's not mold!" says Roz Neiman.  "That's just some...staining."
Yeah. Okay.  Right. 

Mold.  From water?  From cat urine?  Both.  Who knows? 

Toxic black mold on the drywall.
Just one piece of the massive quantity of mold that pervaded our new "home." 

August 13 - Emilio and his crew arrive to demolish the basement "finishing."  As they tear away the surfaces and structures that have conveniently hidden this latest problem, vast quantities of toxic black mold are found throughout the dry wall, which is filled with rusted nails and other indications of serious water damage, particularly in areas adjacent to new water heater.  A similarly pervasive mold problem is found beneath the panels that were removed by Orlando Plumbing to complete the sewer lateral work.  Both the sellers and Roslyn Neiman saw this area before the closing of the house.

It strains credulity to believe that both the Exlers and Howard Hanna, in the form of Roz Neiman, were not aware of this extensive mold problem prior to putting the house on the market.  And it is next to impossible to believe that Roz Neiman -- a real estate agent with more than 20 years of experience -- did not know mold when she saw it.  But if nothing else, the mold exposed during the sewer lateral work could not have been mistaken for anything else.  And this triggered a legal requirement to inform the buyers (us) about this problem.  Not only did no one do so, they actively covered it up and denied the presence of mold, even as they were uncovering more of it, preferring instead to offload their house of horrors on two unsuspecting buyers. 

August 14 - More toxic black mold is exposed on, behind and below dry wall. Close examination of rotunda reveals different shades of paint were used to create the faux bricks along the base of the room. Both we and our contractors suspect more mold.  A powerful odor, possible a combination of black mold and mice, is emitted upon loosening the cap on a mysteriously placed rotunda sink.  What lies behind is mold, raw earth (with worms, of course), and other unsavory sights and smells.  Disgusting. 

August 15 - The demolition crew returns for what was supposed to be the final day of basement deconstruction. The sheer quantity of mold and mouse droppings uncovered today is truly staggering. The air in the basement is completely noxious and the entire space is beyond unsanitary.  The only question seems to be ... is there anywhere in this house where we WON'T find mold?! 

September 16 - HouseMaster performs mold testing, taking air and other samples throughout the house. Formal report and analysis follow several days later confirming 211 Hunt Road is chock full of mold of all varieties, including toxic black mold in the basement. 

November 9 - Yet another contractor (one of the flooring guys) discovers an entire sheet of 4’ x 8’ plywood subfloor in the dining room that had been previously saturated with water, was rotted and look and smelled of mold.  Testing confirms that it's more toxic stuff.

The dangers of even "regular" mold are well known, and the dangers of TOXIC mold are even worse.  Toxic mold -- especially toxic black mold (stachybotrys chartarum) -- creates countless health risks.   Most common are respiratory effects, including problems with breathing, nausea, vomiting, increased risk of infection, and bleeding from the lungs and nose.  Lorri did in fact experience multiple unexplained spontaneous nosebleeds during exposure to these toxins; she just didn't know yet (at the time we had not fully uncovered the hidden mold) what they were from.  Lisa experienced nausea, difficulty breathing, and general lethargy, among other things.  These people clearly did not care if they harmed us in any way -- financially, emotionally, even risking our very health.  They dumped their cat urine and black mold into our lives, and walked away with our money. 

Neither Howard Hanna as a company nor Roslyn Neiman as an agent did anything to help us remediate these problems or address our concerns as we discovered them after our purchase.  Their approach was not one that involved caring about us as customers or as human beings.  Instead their guiding principle in dealing with us appears to have been simply "deny, deny, deny."  

And what about that heavily advertised Howard Hanna "Money Back Guarantee"?  Oh, sorry, they said -- that doesn't apply to you.  

If you suspect mold in your home, make sure to get it checked out by a professional and make a visit to your physician to determine if your health is being affected.  Here's an EPA guide on mold -- how to identify and remediate it, along with resources on health risks of mold exposure.  

Mmmm... toxic black mold... Thanks Roz!!