Man Buys House From Zillow. It Was Listed With The Wrong City And Address—Now He’s Stuck

A man says he bought a house he found on Zillow, only to discover that he may have purchased a completely different property—or no property at all.

According to TikTok user Sean (@seans.crazy.life), he and his wife found a house on Zillow and made arrangements to see it. When they arrived at the address, they saw a completely different house, listed at the address 962 Sherwood.

“Called the realtor and he said, ‘Oh, Google Maps is wrong for some reason. You got to go a quarter mile east to the next house.’ So, we did,” he recalls.

This was the first red flag of many—though the others would arise after their offer was accepted.

What Happened Next?

Sean says that, after submitting an offer that got accepted, he and his wife began transferring all of their documents to the new address.

Just before closing, however, he received a concerning text.

“Three days before closing, realtor sends a text saying, ‘Hey, title company can’t find the survey. You’ll have to sign a survey waiver,’” he details. “I replied with, ‘Are you sure you guys have the address correct?’ His response was, ‘I would never let you buy a house if the address had not been established.’”

As more red flags arose, Sean says he decided to drive back to the property. Upon arriving, he says he discovered that the mailbox had the address listed as 942, not 962. After calling the realtor, who confirmed that he already knew about the issue, he brought the issue up to the title company.

“They said, ‘Oh, well, address really doesn’t matter. It comes down to legal description.’ I’m like, ‘OK,’” he shares. “So we trusted in them, which was a huge mistake.”

Things Get Weirder

When it came time to sign all of the paperwork, all of it had been amended to read the correct address. The only exception was the tax documentation; Sean was told, “We’ll have to amend that later.”

Even with these issues, the couple closed on the house, paying in cash. They then adjusted all of their documents again to reflect their new address.

Despite this, they found that they were not receiving mail. When he asked the post office why this was the case, Sean was told that his new home was actually in a different city.

“I’m like, ‘They don’t have the freaking city, right? Are you serious? Address and city wrong?’” he says.

Eventually, Sean says he decided to just look up the county’s BS&A property records.

This revealed an even more confusing development. According to the documentation, they did not actually own the house they were living in—but they did own the house that they accidentally drove to when they first visited. But this documentation also didn’t make sense, as it provided an address that did not line up with the property they allegedly owned.

How Can This Even Happen?

In Sean’s telling, this was the result of a poorly managed sale back in 2021.

According to Sean, a trust owned three neighboring farms. In 2021, the trust tried to sell the middle property to the people who later sold it to Sean. The assessor and title companies attached the wrong legal description to that 2021 transaction, which was then carried forward into his transaction.

While a title defect of this nature would usually be caught during the mortgage lending process, Sean says he paid cash.

Unfortunately, this also seems to have left Sean in a situation where there is little recourse. He says he tried to file a title insurance claim but could not do so, as the company claimed they simply “got the wrong information from the assessor.”

While all this was happening, the authorities got involved, as ownership errors meant property taxes had been applied to the wrong houses/parcels. Even after Sean was told the situation was resolved, he saw the “corrected” version of his property listed it as having 0.000 acres—a sign that things were still not right. Not only that, but due to another issue, it turned out the property may have been paying double what it should have in certain taxes.

As a result of all of this, Sean says he’s missed bills, hurt his credit, and caused him considerable stress. Now, he says he’s going after the licensing agencies and tax authorities of every party involved.

What Can One Even Do In This Situation?

If you’re in a situation like Sean, things might feel pretty hopeless. However, there may be a solution to this issue.

First, it may be possible to fix everything without a lawsuit. If the original trust, neighboring owners, sellers, and anyone with mortgages or liens all agree about what happened, real estate attorneys may be able to correct the record and rebuild the chain of title.

Second, if it’s not possible to resolve things without a lawsuit, he may have to go the legal route. He could sue to reform the deeds and “quiet title,” which allows a person to bring an action to determine competing ownership claims to a property and clear the title. He also may be able to sue others involved in the closing process, as it appears there were several missteps, intentional or unintentional, that led Sean to the situation he’s currently in.

In order to determine the best course of action, someone in Sean’s situation should speak to a lawyer. They will inform you of your rights and the correct way to proceed.

Viewers Have Advice

In the comments section, users shared their opinions about how best to handle the situation.

“I was a mortgage lender for over ten years. Left to work for a realtor for three years. Title company and realtor are very much at fault,” shared a user. “Contact the state board on the realtor. Contact your local newspaper and news station. The squeaky wheel gets the oil and they don’t want the bad PR.”

“Retain an Attorney tomorrow. Sue the realtor, their broker and the title company,” offered another.

“As far as I’m concerned, Title insurance compaines are a scam. I have yet to see them help with title issues. They’re answer is ALWAYS, not our fault, we’re not going to cover that,” detailed a third.

BroBible reached out to Sean via TikTok direct message and comment and to Zillow via email.