Moncton couple sues realtor after selling wrong property
A Moncton couple is suing Royal LePage after an agent sold them a plot of land that was not the property they thought they were buying.
Tabatha Wilson and John Graves had their eyes on a plot of land near Irishtown for a while before they decided they wanted to purchase it.
“This was our first piece of property,” Wilson said.
“We were going to move our mini home to it.”
But despite going through a real estate agent and hiring a lawyer, the land they thought they bought was not what they ended up with. In fact, it is owned by another family that is not interested in selling the property.
"We went through a real estate company because of the fact that they are supposed to be professionals. It states on their web page that they are professionals, that they know exactly what they are doing, they can help in every aspect of buying and selling whether it be, land, houses," Graves said.
"If you're going with the best, you expect the best type of treatment, and unfortunately, they failed us on every avenue."
The actual property the couple purchased is several lots away from where the For Sale sign was located. There's a property with a house already built on it in between the lots.
Wilson and Graves say they believe the lot they purchased is "less desirable" to build on than the one they thought they had bought.
Graves said Royal LePage has refused to return their calls since they discovered the error.
"When you make a mistake, own up to it and then we can move on from that point. If they continue to ignore us, it just makes things 1,000 times worse," he said.
After months without a response, the couple decided to take the real estate company to court.
A lawyer for the realtor wouldn't comment on the case or explain how a sale sign ended up on land that was not for sale.
Royal LePage Realty indicated in its statement of defence that is not responsible for the mix-up. The real estate company says the previous owner of the land misled them.
The company also says the couple should have hired a surveyor to ensure they received the correct property.
