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Arizona buyers left in the dark on nearby hazards
A family says they bought property next to a hazardous site and weren't told. The site has orange dirt containing high levels of arsenic and lead.
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Real estate agents can be completely unscrupulous.
Every AZ real estate agent knows where mines used to be. It's on all the maps.
@Lemonbonker589
Ай бұрын
Thank you! That's exactly it. They're lying. They knew they knew exactly what they did and they're local. It's not like they don't live here
@richlopez5896
Ай бұрын
@@Lemonbonker589 They are called superfund sites. Somebody was holding back this info from them
@only1muppet
Ай бұрын
They only know if they actually bother to look. The way that agent sounded I bet she didn’t look so she could claim ignorance if sued.
@susanjohnson6860
Ай бұрын
Especially LOCAL realtors.!!
The company that polluted should clean it up. Not taxpayers
@steven4315
Ай бұрын
Should but won't. Efforts to make companies more responsible for cleaning up their mess are being blocked.
@lesliegaskill650
Ай бұрын
Usually these mines aren’t American owned
@Userhfdryjjgddf
Ай бұрын
That's how mines get out of doing the rehabilitation. They go out of business and claim bankruptcy. No money left for rehab. Need to advocate for stronger rules before a mine starts. Once it's there, nothing you can do. Now that being said. We cannot have our society without mining. We need mining to survive
@fueymanchoo1291
Ай бұрын
@@Userhfdryjjgddf That shipped sailed with the most recent Scotus decision on the Chevron rule. It's a free for all now unless congress specifically writes the rule.
@Ghostdogsurvivalist
Ай бұрын
@@fueymanchoo1291 Not true. The opinion overturned a long-standing legal doctrine called Chevron deference, which required judges to defer to an agency's interpretation when it comes to regulations about laws that are ambiguous. You can now question the regulation. No regulation was over turned.
If it wasn't disclosed, you have a lawsuit against your agent, the seller's agent, and the owners. They have E&O insurance, and the state has a fund to compensate you.
@Starfish2145
Ай бұрын
It is not the agents responsibility! It is the sellers responsibility. The agent may have absolutely no knowledge of the contamination.
@marknicolich5789
Ай бұрын
false they will and did claim not to have had any knowledge and the amount they could sue the llc for was not enough to be worth it, They went over this in the video did you even watch it?
@fatteebaddee
Ай бұрын
chatGpt info does not equate to real life
@PhrontDoor
Ай бұрын
Correct. While the seller's agent might not be directly responsible, they have to be listed in the suit as at least having involvement, contributory or vicarious. That will prevent the fault-blame game from falling off the list of parties accounted for in the filings.
@janofb
Ай бұрын
@@marknicolich5789 As an agent I can tell you the sellers claimed they bought it on a foreclosure so couldn't provide a disclosure of issues, but the agents should have known. You're suggesting THEY didn't know about a superfund site in their territory? They should have their licenses revoked.
Realtors dont care about the findings of the soil, natural hazards or anything except getting the money for selling the property.
Whenever a home, or property has a significant defect, failure to disclose the information to the potential buyer is illegal.
@ubiquitouslady3990
Ай бұрын
I thought the same, but, since it's a foreclosure the 'buyer beware' and do your own due diligence before you submit a bid might apply. It would REALLY STINK for this family, but I betcha that's how the shady RE lady gets away with it. smh
@ChernaRoza
Ай бұрын
Actually, disclosure laws vary by state, and off-site hazards - even when nearby - may not be required to be disclosed. I live in Arizona. When I was purchasing my home, my real estate agent informed me of one factor that he thought would be important to me; but for everything else, it was my job to exercise due diligence for off-site issues. That included identifying a nearby superfund site (former military property - undergoing cleanup by the Feds - not considered a significant health hazard at the moment). Real estate agents in a mining town should know about local mines; but they may or may not be aware of the mines' health hazards, and they may not always know the location of each mine. (This one was larger, and thus, fairly obvious, so she probably should have said something.) Here in Arizona, a number of more rural communities are mining communities. Even when they're not, sometimes there might be some mining contamination in local waterways from upstream (albeit probably a bit diluted). If you ever see a large pile of dirt in roughly horizontal levels, definitely find out what that is. In Arizona, we have MASSIVE copper mines (and silver and gold mines). Mining and refining metals leads to some pretty serious contamination - possible dust issues; heavy metals in the aquifer / water and the soil. Unless you work for the mine, it's not the best place to live - certainly not to raise a family, imho. Also, on disclosures in general, sellers are typically only required to disclose problems that they are aware of. If a company bought the property and was unaware of nearby hazards, they may not be liable. This is why it is important to exercise very careful due diligence when considering a home for sale by a company, such as a foreclosure or similar situation.
That is plain criminal what they did to that family. Can’t trust no one any where in America. Country is full of scammers
,,, who the frig would want to live in an area that looks like an atomic bomb testing site?
@FidelityRacing
Ай бұрын
Houses are fuckin' expensive man
@kittybest2301
Ай бұрын
You build your own oasis that's why. Far away from people
All old mines are contaminated
If you want to avoid this, when looking at buying property, pay for what is called an "environmental site assessment" with historical analysis and lab testing for soil samples.
That real estate agent is a HUGE part of the problem.
Did they do a walk around before they bought the land? Theres no way they didnt see the mine. Caveat emptor
@dmo848
Ай бұрын
My thoughts exactly. What was this a blind purchase. That's on them and no one else for being a dummy with a dollar.
@sar4x474
Ай бұрын
I think it’s called caviar emperor.
@NYCHFAN
Ай бұрын
She said she thought it was an "old mine".
@HoosiHerHillbilly
Ай бұрын
@@sar4x474 well I hate to tell you this, but you would be wrong with a person has it right
@HoosiHerHillbilly
Ай бұрын
@@sar4x474 caveat emptor
I’m having trouble sharing. Imagine that. I know this poor family. 😢 😡 should be illegal for them to sell without a soil test they knew and didn’t expose its toxic.
Reminds me of a neighborhood whose buyers purchased residential lots adjacent to a landfill and later were SHOCKED there was toxic leaching into their water wells!
According to an Arizona Dept. of Health study: "• The rates for lung and bladder cancer are elevated for the Prescott Valley and Black Canyon City PCA areas compared to the Yavapai County and State rate but Dewey-Humboldt only comprises 5.7% of those cases, making it difficult to attribute higher rates specifically to Dewey-Humboldt. • The Arizona Department of Health Services is unable to reach any conclusions regarding the presence of an elevated cancer risk in the Dewey-Humboldt area." If it were me I'd wear a mask or avoid going outside when it was windy enough to blow that dust around.
@miguelcastaneda7257
Ай бұрын
Ahh don't forget Tucson up till mid 60s you could drink well water ..well America's finest and britest..air force dug a pit two hundred feet wide quarter mile long dumped old fuel..coolant..cleaning agents oil....it was just a dirt pit..all went into ground water...toxic..tc3...cancer...hyper ageing
@michaeljohn7467
Ай бұрын
I would move n take it as a loss
the mine was in sight. the pile of dirt was in sight. the site was listed as a cleanup site for 16 years. can you dress yourself or do you need your hand held for that as well?
@ginadelsasso288
Ай бұрын
Exactly....it is right there!!! Whenever you buy a home you have to get radon testing and properly inspected. Land buyers should be doing the same thing. Test the soil before you buy it, if it is known there is a suprafund site nearby.
@Troyrocks177
Ай бұрын
@@josephlalock8378 don't show your backside. It ain't cool.
How were they able to sell a superfund site? I live 10 miles from Picher OK and nobody is allowed to buy or sell it. Only clean up now.
I feel bad for them, but, if something is cheap, especially real estate, raw land or actual house, walk away. There's a reason. Seeing the mountain of tailings, I would have gotten back in the truck and looked for something else. Plenty of areas in rural Arizona away from any mines are available. Messed up situation. Shame on the real estate company. They knew.
Ok duh! Any mining area is contaminated!! Douglas Sierra vista Tombstone And the list goes on!! Clifton Globe………
That should’ve been obvious when looking at the home that there’s a mine nearby. Seller required to disclose it. It is not the real estate agents job to disclose things. It is the sellers responsibility.
@marknicolich5789
Ай бұрын
the sellers knew that's why it was a llc used so they could hide their identities & just file bankruptcy if ever sued plus it would cost too much to sue them anyways. seller knew and used loopholes to run a game
@katjay3125
Ай бұрын
She said she knew there was a mine there and just thought it was OK so it's on her
@5400bowen
Ай бұрын
Everything in a real estate deal is the agents (both) duty to find out and disclose. They make up the paperwork, not the seller. They are by law the property experts, not laymen. Either you are a realtor or are brainwashed.
Wait.... wait.... wait just one second. People are actually buying land in the middle of a desert??? How is that "perfect"???? It's not country... it's a desert!!! There is a difference. 😳🙏
Well yes it is an old mine. If you sometime studying in school you might know that mines do tend to have issues with metals, after all, mines are dug for the minerals. And the buyers have a period of due diligence on their part to do research to understand and uncover problems with the deal or they can walk.
@brayleeparkinsonauthor
Ай бұрын
Exactly. If you live near a mine-operational or not-it was or is a Superfund site. It’s easy to search Superfund sites, so while it should have been disclosed, the buyer could have easily found this information. If the house is cheap, there’s usually a reason.
Tha lack of disclosure would be a big flag!
Professional Karen , both seller and agent colluded to obscure the potential hazards.
@Lemonbonker589
Ай бұрын
Thank you, that is exactly right
Wow everyone needs to jot down the name of this reality owner and the last monopoly of the LLC’s that played a part to swindle that family out of their money. But to be honest we were about to close on our “at the time” our dream location home in Joshua Tree. At the turn of the market in 2008 we were getting a home that is now valued at $618k for $290k. Wanna know why? We drove out with the kids and our belongings and we got there in the middle of the night. Parked at the property. The realtor we were dealing with was out of town for the weekend to finish docs. While we were lingering every day around the property, the neighbor directly in front of us came over and decided to introduce himself “because he said by law he was required to inform us. Wtf? Now we understood why this property was sitting so long and why they were so accommodating to us. We lost all of our earnest money. Because yes we SOoooo did not close. And do u know the reality company told me that it’s not their obligation to inform me. From that moment on….. I learned 3 things to google before I purchased homes. And til this day, I still continue to do so.
@mikeward7290
Ай бұрын
What was wrong with the property?
@doneown503
Ай бұрын
@@mikeward7290, lol ! , it's like they totally left that out ! probably skinwalkers,,,
@Somewhere-In-AZ
Ай бұрын
@@mikeward7290probably the neighbor had a fondness for children, if you know what I mean.
Buyer be ware.. You get what you pay for...
Title insurance should cover it..but she admits to knowing there was a mine and should have done her research.
Laws to protect grifters but not for citizens.
The SELLER has the responsibility to disclose, NOT the agent.
@notw333
Ай бұрын
Yeah. Agents are USELESS.
@5400bowen
Ай бұрын
Hogwash, the realtor is by law the property expert, not an owner. I did mortgages, you are either another lying realtor or you have bought the brainwashing of the association.
@ChernaRoza
Ай бұрын
Except that the seller was a business from out of state. They may or may not have even been to the property or even the community. This is why it's important to exercise due diligence when purchasing a foreclosure or property otherwise owned by a company.
The hazard in living in a shitty state like Arizona.
The real estate agent is evil
The seller (and quite possibly that agent) knew what they were doing here. I would find a good lawyer that might take the case pro bono.
Real estate normal disclosure laws clearly were at play yet ignored! Hope her and other kocal families survive!!
She's stuck with a cancer emitting home.
I don’t understand why anybody sees Dewey and thinks “this is my dream town” lol!
Due Diligence. Should have had everything tested and perked.
@katjay3125
Ай бұрын
Yup she had 30 days to test it
The co-owner of KMF Real Estate is a liar. I'm sure she knows that that area is "contaminated". This is why you always do your research BEFORE buying any property.
Greed replaces morals & values of these sellers.
Buyers beware! I don't trust anyone who is trying to sell me something. Realtors are worse than used car salesmen.
If this issue didn’t show in the title search and she purchased title insurance, she should be suing the title insurance company!
Due diligence.. we moved into another type of hell. It’s always something, we’re stuck also.
If they were not informed in documents or verbally they should be able to contact the states attorney general office to go after the seller and the realtor.
that's your beautiful capitalism
I bought a house in Gilbert in 2001 that was 100 yrds from the old landfill. I would have thought they would have told me, but never heard a word about what the unused land was.
"Caveat Emptor"...Stupid is as stupid does.
I didn't see a disclosure from the seller ? both are Liable seller and Broker
Literally what the movie Erin Brokovich was about... They're gonna get a great lawyer for this and make a whole lotta money lol
Nobody's fault but your own. You have to do your own investigation.
When I bought land I asked if there was any mining in the area or known mine or mill sites. He told me at lower elevations in the area had some sites. We have uranium, mercury, silver, copper, etc. Look at the state seal. There was land in Nevada near Carson City where they wanted a subdivision it had asbestos. These western states have had lots of mining.
That agent needs to lose her license she knew
Unfortunate, but look at that mining site, you can see it...That whole are has a long time history of mining, they are still doing it in the area....But there should be more in the listing......
Kind of surprised at most of these other comments. When you buy a property, it is 100% your job to do the research into what you’re buying. It is no one’s legal responsibility to tell you anything about what YOU are purchasing. If you don’t do the research until after you’ve purchased, that’s your own fault. You need to ask questions, she admitted to seeing the mine before the purchase.. a little common sense goes a long, long way. It’s your purchase, your responsibility to do due diligence. Not the realtors job to tell you anything unless you specifically ask. A realtor’s job is to sell something, do you think they are going to go out of their way to tell you something bad if there’s a chance it’d hurt the chances of selling?? Hell no. Zero sympathy for that family.
I own a 20-acre gold mining claim. In the Humboldt-Dewey area on the eastern side of Highway 69. The old Iron King mine in this news report is located. Right off of Highway 69 on the west side. You can see the old mine from the highway. No matter what direction you are coming from. When you turn onto Iron King Road ( Dirt Road ) and follow it up into the hills. You will drive within a few feet of the tailings piles. There is a chain link fence surrounding the property. With signs posted every fifty feet, stating. * Do not Enter, Hazardous chemicals* . So this is where I call bull skeet with the relator. One, The Iron King Mine is extremely visible. With posted signs warning of the hazardous materials in the area. Two: Any good, respectful relator would have done. Their due diligence about the history of the area. To properly inform customers of what they are purchasing. The same can be said about the properties prospective buyer's. It's up to the buyer to do their due diligence. On researching an area before buying a property. Three anyone buying land in Humboldt-Dewey. Needs to rethink that choice. Land and house prices are way over inflated. Buy the local realty companies.
I live about 35 miles north of there, there's signs all around the dumps worning of the contamination. Yes, it should have been disclosed, but you can't depend on others to find these things out. Especially when profit is involved.
This is the kind of situation where a rich person, millionaire steps in and helps the family out.
Call Erin Brockovich I believe they are still in business.
Superfund sites are mapped very well. Buyer was told they were nearby and didn't do due diligence. She screwed herself.
Shame on all involved. People need to be held accountable for their poisonous buildings. I would never live by an old mine!!! Who are these uneducated people buying there? The ground and water will always be polluted with toxic chemicals. Deaths for $$$$$$ again. Very sad the greed is #1.
Although unfortunate, some due diligence, which is generally the buyers responsibility, would have prevented this situation. I've been doing this for 32 years now in AZ, although 95% of my projects are commercial.
There is no place on a real estate listing form where you have to disclose anything about another property nearby. Buyer's Beware and do your own investigation before purchasing.
Sorry, but she and her husband are ignorant. How do you not know what mine tailings contain? You said you're from AZ.
She knew. She always did. That kind of stuff doesn’t get past the real estate companies and communities.
So the new owner needs to sue the realtor, the owners who were selling the property and the county for allowing the sale.
She needs to sue them for everything they got!! 😢
I've been through Dewey Humboldt A few times just went to there a couple months ago, I knew something seemed weird about the area
The real estate agent knows exactly what she's doing. All she cares about is her commission.
Sounds like the buyer didn't do their homework & are looking for someone to blame!
If you see a big ass mine why would you purchase land next to it? Buyer's responsibility to do their own research just like a used car.
You can literally see where the land has been strip mining
Buyer beware
Realtors are shady, especially because it’s a tough time to buy. Car salesman have better ethics than these “professionals”
@falcorthewonderdog2758
Ай бұрын
It's the sellers responsibility to disclose not the real estate agent.
@5400bowen
Ай бұрын
@@falcorthewonderdog2758 when was the last time you saw a real estate deal where the seller filled out the paperwork?
There's alot of cheap land in New Mexico so I wonder if it's contaminated also. ????
That's why it's called "do your do diligence " before buying any property. Legally, no one has to disclose anything, which should be illegal in every state. But unfortunately they don't do anything for the consumer
@5400bowen
Ай бұрын
Legally they do have to disclose everything. I did mortgages, I know what the law is. Here in Hawaii I bought a lot and by law the sellers agent was required to list a pig farm across the road and the sellers agent was as dishonest as the day is long, but he knew better than to not list the pig farm. You think he did it out of the goodness of his heart? I did mortgages. I know that this agent, and most actually, are crooks and don’t do things like that voluntarily.
Same thing happened in Park City Utah. The real estate companies and the tourism attrmpted to hush it up. It just went nowhere and many have died of various cancers throughout families snd long term residents.
The Seller should’ve disclosed it to the buyer that the land was contaminated with chemicals and toxins!
A perfect example of American Greed. The local realtor didn’t know - yea right. What a bunch of BS
Have the buyers never looked at google earth and asked themselves what is that anomaly by the house I want to buy? Ignorance is bliss.
Two words "due diligence ".
Sketchy realtor..if she’s in and from the town …she knew! It’s going to be in the drinking water as well!
Why is a septic system 50k?!???!!? That is ridiculous.
The mining company should be responsible
You NEVER buy property without looking at the damned thing!!!👎
Why don’t they get the mine owners to fix it?
@ChernaRoza
Ай бұрын
Around Humboldt were the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter. Operations ran from around the 1890s-1960s. There were also smaller mine operations from ~1900-1934. So, most of the businesses responsible are probably long-defunct. Per the EPA Superfund report, there was a tailing collapse in 1964 that sent contamination downstream. That likely put the last mining / smelter operation out of business, if one was still operating then. In other words, I'm not sure if a business owns the site. The site may have been turned over to the state (AZ) or Feds quite some time ago.
My daughter had blood poisoning when she was little because of the lead in the dirt in morenci.. mommy wasn't paying attention and she was eating dirt etc i guess.. we had to give her calcium for a yr to bring it down. Anyway yes. Old Arizona copper mine towns are horrible. Those old tailings are just a mess.. globe has done a pretty good job of covering their old tailings but none of them were lined like they are now.. so i would not drink well water any where in that area. I bought a cheap property in Safford for 5k in 08 across the river from the new mine.. not on the mine side etc. Anyway ya don't ever buy anything near a pile of red brown grey or orange dirt or any dirt that is void of vegetation!!! Lol
No way that broker didn't know about this.
They are crooked as hell, but how did she not see the mine
Superfund site means the US government is paying big bucks to owner to clean it up !!!! So sue the owner for every $$$ they have received to clean it up and did not. Or find out which government official was suppose to monitor the cleanup. I guarantee the real estate office knew this. The owner they represent knew this and the government knew the owner changed therefore the check they write for clean up should be going to the new owner.
Faye Humphrey needs to loose her real estate license.
I'm sorry but that real estate women who lives in the town where the superfund sight is, knew exactly what this family was buying and did not tell them... How does she sleep at night?
So, stigmatized property doesn’t exist in Arizona?? Your state didn’t condemn?? Sue Arizona
Someone didn't do her due diligence.
Never purchase a piece of property without first looking into the history and the mineral and water rights of the property. You can purchase something that's nice looking but deadly. or looks like paradise but you don't own or have any control of what's under the land you own and live on.
Wow, it's called homework people. Look before you leap.
Lawsuit 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
Didn’t you walk the property and ask questions before you bought the land ? If not , it’s your land now. It’s not the old mine their selling it’s the land adjoining it . Ask questions otherwise they will be hush hush , just to sell the property
She’s entitled to her money back.
"Partner"? You mean husband?
Always remember, ask God first before making any decision. And remember the saying; if a deal is too good to be true, then itis. Research everything.
She can no longer claim ignorance as she has been because now this is all being brought up to her (in public) and in the media so she has a moral (and seemingly legal) obligation to disclose all of that information to all potential buyers.
Tell the attorney general