It’s been two years since I signed the contract for the townhouse off plan and paid the deposit. The developer, Truesource PTY LTD in Melbourne, Australia, promised the house would be completed by August 2021 but has since delayed it multiple times without a date. I was lucky enough to receive help from a friend with knowledge in that field to help me with the contract. I only got copies of my signed pages but never received the whole contract back.
I had been trying to contact the developer to terminate the contract and get my deposit back, but they have been vague. I’m now considering hiring a lawyer as my next step. I’m left questioning if I’m being scammed or if I’m overreacting?
It’s a good idea to get a real estate attorney involved. Builders tend to have iron-clad contracts so it’s likely I won’t get my deposit back. Depending on what state I’m in, it could be a different story. For example, in Florida, after two years the builder is required to give you either your deposit or a house.
It doesn’t look good to me. A lawyer is the best way to go to make sure I’m in the best position. The odds are in favor that I got scammed, so I should have taken it to a lawyer a long time ago. I don’t even have a contract in hand and it’s already been two years.