Caveat emptor: Mold house auctioned off

October 9, 2007

The Hook - Charlottesville,VA*

by Provence

mold-house-auctioned-off/

The house on 2207 Wayne Avenue that was supposed to be the dream

home of Larry and Judit Szaloki was foreclosed upon and sold

at auction September 24. The family discovered within days of buying

the house in February 2005 that it was infested with mold when one

of their children became sick and had to be rushed to the emergency

room.

The community rallied to the family's side, and volunteers

remediated the mold. But the family couldn't afford to replace the

walls, cabinets, and appliances that were torn out, and they lived

in the gutted shell for almost two years. And now the mold is back,

says Szaloki, who moved into an apartment two months ago with the

children.

" All my kids have really bad asthma and now depression, " says

Szaloki. " Now I have a place with a kitchen so I can cook for them,

and a bathroom to take a shower. "

Both Szaloki and are bitter about their home buying

experience, and bankruptcy remains a possibility in their

future. " It's a sh*tty deal, " says , a former Marine who is

the proprietor of Uncle Larry's Toy Shop. " No one got punished, and

without a lawyer, that's hard to do. "

Szaloki filed suit against the former owners, Steve and Betty

Dudley, the real estate agents, and home inspector in February, but

the suit was dismissed.

" What amazes me is how the city allows the house to be sold when it

has mold, " says Szaloki. " It has toxic black mold. " She says an

underground problem prevented water from draining from a sink and

would have cost $35,000 to fix.

The couple paid $249,000 for the property, which sold at auction for

$229,000. " Honestly, I was shocked it even sold, " says .

A woman answering the phone at the Richmond company that handled the

sale says the lender bought the house back.

To the new owners, has a message: " I want that person to know

you bought a whole lot of heartache. "

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