Back to the beginning

What should you expect if you close on April 1st and the real estate ad declares "too good to be true!?" I was living in a rental a few blocks away and was riding my bike, thinking "I really hate to leave but I need to buy. Too bad I will never be able to afford anything in my quirky little beach community." I turned the corner and there it was! A tiny house that I surely must be in my budget! The poor little thing fell out of escrow a few times, just waiting for me. And everything was so new. The legal "effective age" was only 3.5 years old. I still have to idea what an effective age is but in my naivety, viewing the the all new kitchen and cosmetic touches, I assumed that this must be a pretty solid little house. A few questions were raised during the inspection but no big red flags. The problems started right away but they were small at first. And then it snowballed, climaxing with us fleeing the house and returning a week later to move out in Tyvek suits with respirators, goggles and gloves.