All Forum Posts by: Megan Ghothane

 Thanks, Sara. I really appreciate the clear steps. It is also validating that I am on the right track. I'm ready to start #3 this week. 

Good morning! I am a teacher in Maryland public schools and looking for a big change! I have followed Bigger Pockets and investing for awhile - I have even dabbled in investing with my husband in the past. In teaching, buzzwords are a huge thing and I'm going to use a lot of the real estate investing ones in this introduction...

I have the analysis paralysis. I have listened to Podcasts, participated in Webinars, watched YouTube videos, read books, ran the calculators - from BRRRR to wholesaling to short-term rentals and more, but I have never pulled the trigger. I am ready to make the big change and feel that I do have the knowledge, yet still maintain the openness to learn and grow; however, I am missing the connections. The networking. I am excited to finally join the discussions and start taking action.

I want to grow a rental portfolio that can take me down a path of purpose and my family to a place of financial freedom. 

@BethH, thank you. We definitely jumped the gun a little on this one (it happens!). But our realtor has helped us in quite a few deals and is very good at weeding out the "problem" properties, so we went with her on this one. The information from the county is public information (as I understand it from talking with many people), so I hope I don't run into that same problem. 

@JoeNorman, thank you. Yes, we were both represented by a licensed Realtor. My realtor and I felt the same way about the disclosure/disclaimer. Even though the property was vacant for some time (maybe a year or a little more), the owners were definitely in contact with the county and had a septic inspection only a few months before the sale. I have reached out to a lawyer, so hopefully they can give a little more insight. 

@EricTeran, thank you. No, I have not asked/heard anything about a seepage pit. I will definitely ask the septic company what their thoughts are. 

@RuthLyons, thank you. Yes, I did file a complaint against the seller's agent. As for the title company and public record, it does not seem as if the company was aware. I am hoping that with the complaint I can at least get the contact information for the sellers because without it I cannot file mediation papers. 

I purchased a property in September of 2019. When trying to fix the septic system, I was halted by Baltimore County due to bad soil drainage. As I dug deeper into the issue I learned that the previous owners knew of this issue and the fact that this property was not allowed to be renovated or lived in due to the failing system (and subsequent inability to fix it). Do I have grounds to take legal action for nondisclosure?

Thank you, Tim. Yes, connecting to the sewer sounds like the better option, but they have not approved this yet. And yes, we are close to a stream and one of the tests that was run came back positive for chloroforms(?) and the current system is over capacity so there is pollution happening. 

I do think this soil sucks, just from what I read on the reports. I will keep that idea in mind. 

Thanks again. 

I have a property in Baltimore County, MD that, when purchased, the family did not fully disclose the septic system situation. They provided us with an estimate for septic system repairs done by a reputable company; however, when we had our usual company come out to do the repairs they found that the soil was not suitable and they would have to reach out to the county to run (perc) tests and to give the "okay" to continue work. When the septic company reached out to the county the county immediately contacted me to tell me that this property is in a sort of "hold" and cannot be renovated or repaired in any way! I have spoken to MANY people within the county, sent emails and made online requests to try and solve this issue. 

Where I'm at right now: I have spoken directly to the Director of Public Works and he says that he must speak with someone in the Groundwater Management Department (whom I have also spoken with directly) to see what type of system can be done and give me a timeline. I have also spoken with another person (someone who reached out to me from the online request) that says I need to be given quotes for my various options so I can choose the best one. And lastly, I have acquired mediated papers from my realtor to file against the seller of this property for not providing full disclosure (I was told by the county that this family knew EXACTLY the limitations on the property). Lastly, we have possible public sewer hook-ups directly in front of and behind the property. 

Are there any experts out there who can help guide me as to what I can do to be able to get our property fixed? Or anyone who has experienced anything like this?