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Post Info TOPIC: Couple sues for $2 million after finding out their new $410,000 home was infested with snakes up to 7ft long
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Couple sues for $2 million after finding out their new $410,000 home was infested with snakes up to 7ft long
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Couple sues for $2 million after finding out their new $410,000 home was infested with snakes up to 7ft long

  • Jody and Jeff Brooks and their two young children moved into the Annapolis, Maryland home in December
  • But when the weather warmed up this year, they found out they were not alone and came across numerous snakes and snake skins
  • After spending $50,000 unsuccessfully trying to get rid of the snakes, they were eventually forced to move in with relatives
  • They are suing their Realtor and the former owner for not letting them know about the problem 

By Lydia Warren For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:18 EST, 3 June 2015 | Updated: 16:12 EST, 3 June 2015

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A Maryland couple is suing their Realtor for $2 million for allegedly failing to tell them their new home was infested with snakes - including one that measured seven feet long.

Jody and Jeff Brooks and their two children moved into their $410,000 Annapolis home in December but when the weather began warming up earlier this year, they learned they were not there alone.

They found eight black rat snakes, numerous snake skins and trails of snake feces - and despite spending $50,000 to try to get rid of them, they were forced to move in with family in April.

Speaking to WUSA9, Mrs Brooks said they had been petrified that the snakes might mistake their seven-month-old daughter, Lilly, for vermin and slither into her crib at night.

Scroll down for video 

Forced out: Jody and Jeffrey Brooks, pictured, were forced to leave their new home in April and live with relatives after they discovered it was infested with snakes. They are now suing their Realtor
 
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Forced out: Jody and Jeffrey Brooks, pictured, were forced to leave their new home in April and live with relatives after they discovered it was infested with snakes. They are now suing their Realtor

Dream home: The couple, who both grew up in the neighborhood, bought the Annapolis home for $410,000
 
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Dream home: The couple, who both grew up in the neighborhood, bought the Annapolis home for $410,000

Black rat snakes can live for up to 25 years and grow to seven feet long. The non-poisonous snakes can enter homes through dryer vents, water pipes or cable wires, experts told the Capital Gazette.

Mr Brooks started carrying a machete around the home to kill any snakes that he came across in order to keep them away from his daughter and son, four-year-old Thomas.

'I couldn't come back here,' he said.  

 

Once they began airing their grievances, they were contacted by other families who had previously lived at the home and suffered the same nightmare, the channel reported.

They are now hoping to get out of their bank loan and hope to sue their realtor and former homeowner, whom they claim knew about the issue but never mentioned it. 

 
Family sues realtor over snake infestation in new home
 
video-undefined-2955E2C100000578-233_636x358.jpg
 

See more at Fox Baltimore 

Horrifying: A photograph shows a collection of snake skins that the couple has found in the hom
 
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Horrifying: A photograph shows a collection of snake skins that the couple has found in the hom

Creepy: A couple of dead baby snakes can be seen on a glue trap that was placed in the home's basement
 
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Creepy: A couple of dead baby snakes can be seen on a glue trap that was placed in the home's basement

Terrifying: The longest snake they found was a seven-foot black rat snake in the basement
 
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Terrifying: The longest snake they found was a seven-foot black rat snake in the basement

'I think in the sale of a home, a professional, you should let somebody know of every possible issue when you buy the house,' Jeff Brooks said.

A local pest company, Home Paramount, said the infestation was unlike anything they had seen.

When they advised the couple to tear down walls in the home to look for problem areas, they found tracks the snakes used to move around the home, as well as feces and skins, the lawsuit said.

Even if they did clean out the home of snakes, there is no guarantee they would not return, the couple's attorney said. 

The lawsuit, which was filed on May 19, names Barbara Van Horn - their realtor and neighbor - and the company she works for, Champion Realty, Inc. They are also suing the home's former owner, Joan Broseker and the Joan Broseker Revocable Trust.

Fed up: Jody and Jeff Brooks talk about their snake problem inside the home they have been forced to leave
 
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Fed up: Jody and Jeff Brooks talk about their snake problem inside the home they have been forced to leave

Jeff Brooks, armed with a machete and a cell phone flash light looks into an area he believes is one of the snake nests in the basement on May 27, 2015 in Beechwood, Md. Jeff and Jody Brooks says their real estate agent knew their future home was infested with snakes but sold it to them anyway. The couple filed a $2 million lawsuit two weeks ago, saying their family was driven out because the home was crawling with snakes. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette via AP)
 
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At the ready: Jeff Brooks, armed with a machete and a cell phone flash light, looks into an area he believes is one of the snake nests in the basement of his family's now-abandoned home

Struggle: Bags of insulation is removed from the couple's home as they attempt to rid it of snakes
 
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Struggle: Bags of insulation is removed from the couple's home as they attempt to rid it of snakes

'Van Horn refused to keep a lockbox on the premises while acting as the listing agent and would personally unlock the home and turn on the lights and, upon information and belief, check for snake activity before anyone entered,' according to the lawsuit.

The couple also said that Van Horn never gave them certain pest inspection documents.

'She said she had the world come out and look at it and there was no problem,' Jody Brooks said.

Attorneys for Champion Realty declined comment in the case, citing ongoing litigation. They defendants have a month to submit a response to the lawsuit.

Excitement: They shared a photograph showing their son Thomas opening the door to his new home in December - but after the weather warmed up, the snakes started emerging and they moved out in April
 
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Excitement: They shared a photograph showing their son Thomas opening the door to his new home in December - but after the weather warmed up, the snakes started emerging and they moved out in April

Fight: The couple, pictured, says the Realtor and former owner knew about the problem but never told them
 
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Fight: The couple, pictured, says the Realtor and former owner knew about the problem but never told the



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3109476/Couple-sues-2-million-finding-new-410-000-home-infested-snakes-7ft-long.html#ixzz3c2SGbiY7
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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Ugh!!

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lilyofcourse


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Gonna have to burn the whole neighborhood. Nothing else to do.

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Maybe they could just get a pet mongoose.



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Well, at least they are very unlikely to have rats.

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New homeowner's nightmare. And yeah, the sellers will be on the hook for this if the current owners can get someone to testify that the sellers new.

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Southern_Belle


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$2 mil would not be enough to compensate my mental anguish or the lifetime of therapy I would need after that ordeal.

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WHAT

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I have to wonder if they had a home inspection and if so, why the inspector didn't find any snakes. Of course - the seller needed to tell them, but I would never buy a house without having it inspected.

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When did they buy it? It sounds like they began finding these in the Spring. The snakes could have been curled up anywhere in cold weather.

A home inspection doesn't generally dig in the area around a house.

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Lawyerlady wrote:

I have to wonder if they had a home inspection and if so, why the inspector didn't find any snakes. Of course - the seller needed to tell them, but I would never buy a house without having it inspected.

 I agree. And if it was inspected they could go after the inspector too. 



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They could have had an inspection but it sounds like the snakes are in the walls & were dormant at the time.

I have the creepy crawlies after reading that. What a nightmare.

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Lexxy wrote:

They could have had an inspection but it sounds like the snakes are in the walls & were dormant at the time.

I have the creepy crawlies after reading that. What a nightmare.

 I read a different article about this and it stated the snakes were dormant because it was winter when they bought the house. Also, the pest control in that article advised the family to burn the house down and wait 15 years before rebuilding. 



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Lawyerlady wrote:

I have to wonder if they had a home inspection and if so, why the inspector didn't find any snakes. Of course - the seller needed to tell them, but I would never buy a house without having it inspected.

 The previous owner used her mother as the selling real estate agent, from what I've heard on the news.  And it's been big news back here.  

I'd be nervous if I were a neighbor.  I can't imagine they will be successful in killing all the snakes, and if they did torch the place, the snakes will just "run".

 



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Mellow Momma wrote:
Lexxy wrote:

They could have had an inspection but it sounds like the snakes are in the walls & were dormant at the time.

I have the creepy crawlies after reading that. What a nightmare.

 I read a different article about this and it stated the snakes were dormant because it was winter when they bought the house. Also, the pest control in that article advised the family to burn the house down and wait 15 years before rebuilding. 

 See. Only option. The neighborhood needs to go to.



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Mellow Momma wrote:
Lexxy wrote:

They could have had an inspection but it sounds like the snakes are in the walls & were dormant at the time.

I have the creepy crawlies after reading that. What a nightmare.

 I read a different article about this and it stated the snakes were dormant because it was winter when they bought the house. Also, the pest control in that article advised the family to burn the house down and wait 15 years before rebuilding. 

 Holy crap!  I wonder why 15 years.  Are snakes that territorial?  I really know very little about them.



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I understand it's because of the snake pheromones. Who knew.

I was mistaken...the previous owner was the mother, and her daughter was the realtor.

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Apparently this has happened before: realestate.aol.com/blog/2011/02/10/snakes-on-the-plain-infested-idaho-house-still-seeks-buyer/

I just can't imagine. Now I wonder....over a 9 year period, I have caught and killed two black snakes, both of which lived under my front porch. The porch is cement, and despite covering the "entrance" with mulch, the hole always re-appears. Snake den? Couldn't be too many living in there. We have a lot of squirrels and chipmunks.

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cadiver


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They found eight snakes, that's childs play.

This couple found 42 in one day. They estimate the numbers are in the thounds. They were even warned.

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/idaho-family-abandons-snake-infested-house/

They were on Animal Planet Infested

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Note to self - call my seller and ask outright if they have ever had a snake problem.

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Lawyerlady wrote:

Note to self - call my seller and ask outright if they have ever had a snake problem.

 Don't just call, get it in writing.. 



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Eeek!

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TrudyML wrote:

Eeek!

 "Eeek" is when you have mice.  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH  is for snakes.



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I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
TrudyML wrote:

Eeek!

 "Eeek" is when you have mice.  "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH  is for snakes.

 Oh, you're BOTH wrong:

When you have snakes...*&@#!!!*+%$$#@&$%

flan



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Caitlyn came in telling about the snakes they have seen the last few days on the playground where she works.

Black, 5-6 feet long.



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lilyofcourse wrote:

Caitlyn came in telling about the snakes they have seen the last few days on the playground where she works.

Black, 5-6 feet long.

 Caitlyn Jenner?



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I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

Caitlyn came in telling about the snakes they have seen the last few days on the playground where she works.

Black, 5-6 feet long.

 Caitlyn Jenner?

Crap no.

See. If I was a cussin woman.....



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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.

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lilyofcourse wrote:
I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:

Caitlyn came in telling about the snakes they have seen the last few days on the playground where she works.

Black, 5-6 feet long.

 Caitlyn Jenner?

Crap no.

See. If I was a cussin woman.....

 biggrin



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I'm more disturbed by the size of the spiders on that glue trap than the snakes.

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