Vickie J Mc Cord, Irongate Realty BEWARE VICKIE MC CORD AND ANYONE AT IRONGATE REALTY Lakewood Ranch Florida

I purchased a home last year in which Ms. Mc Cord lied/misrepresented facts about the home, in the presence of witnesses, aided the home inspector (a personal acquaintance whom she recommended) in concealing defects and prevented my right to a proper inspection.  Among the problems I experienced working with Ms. Mc Cord are the following:

1.       Ms. Mc Cord misrepresented the property, lying and stating to both my mother and myself on a visit to the property that all the electrical and plumbing systems had be redone when she was aware that they had not been updated.  I specifically asked Ms. Mc Cord this question due to the age of the home which was built in 1940.

2.        Ms. Mc Cord misrepresented the property and lied, stating to me numerous times that there were no problems with flooding and drainage on the property.  Ms. Mc Cord also stated the seller, William E. “Billy” Scutt had stated that he had no issues with flooding and drainage on the property. 

Although I knowingly purchased a property in a flood zone, the flooding to which I refer comes not from the nearby Manatee River, but happens whenever there is rain in the area.  The flooding and lack of drainage on the property makes the property unsafe and unusable.  Additionally, I have the attached photos, obtained from a neighbor, that show the flood and drainage problems on the property before, during, and after Mr. Scutt’s tenure on the property.  The neighbor also commented to Ms. Mc Cord and myself about the flooding on a visit to the property.  Ms. Mc Cord directed me away from the neighbor and subsequently, on several occasions, dismissed the neighbor’s claims and repeatedly stated that there was no flooding or drainage issues on the property.

3.       Ms. Mc Cord, a friend and business acquaintance of the seller’s family, misrepresented the property, knowing that Mr. Scutt, who did extensive renovations to the property, was unlicensed, there were no permits for the work performed by Mr. Scutt, and the work was subsequently never inspected.  Due to the misrepresentation of the home by Ms. Mc Cord, I purchased a home including numerous code violations in addition to health and safety concerns, which includes, among other things, rotting floors, a rotting foundation, fungus, black mold, and an electrical panel box (never inspected or included on the report) that is situated behind the refrigerator.  Ms. Mc Cord personally sent me a copy of the permit search, knowing that there were no permits on record since the owner prior to Mr. Scutt, Otis Joiner put a new roof on the home in 2010 and had air conditioning work in 2012.  Additionally, I heard the Termite Inspector, Adam Burnside, of Macy’s Pest Solutions in Sarasota, Florida comment to Ms. Mc Cord that the last permit he located for the property was from the previous owner, Otis Joiner, in 2010, making Ms. Mc Cord further aware of the violations on the property.  

4.        Ms. Mc Cord misrepresented the property by lying to me and stating how much the seller paid for flood insurance.  Ms. Mc Cord stated (I have proof in the form of an email) that the seller only paid $400 a year for flood insurance.  I have verified with neighbors that this is incorrect as their premiums are much more and their homes are seated at a higher elevation level than my property.

When I searched for flood insurance I found that the flood insurance zones had changed several years prior to my home being listed.  The flood insurance quotes I received were three times the amount Ms. Mc Cord claimed the seller paid and I was required to pay the first year of flood insurance up front.  Ms. Mc Cord claimed that she was unaware the flood zones, that had changed several years prior to the sale, had changed.  Ms. Mc Cord, a lifetime resident of the area, sells homes in the area daily and claims on her real estate profile that she is a knowledgeable “professional” with 25 years of experience.  Ms. Mc Cord had to be aware that the flood zones had changed when she lied about the premiums the seller paid.

5.       Ms. Mc Cord misrepresented the property by lying to me and stating that the seller had the house treated for termites.  The seller never had the house treated for termites and neither Ms. Mc Cord nor the seller William E. Scutt responded to my repeated requests for any type of proof of the termite treatment.  Mr. Scutt stated on the seller’s disclosure that the previous owner had the house treated for termites.  However, I contacted the previous owner, Otis Joiner, and even Mr. Joiner was unable to provide proof of the treatment or who treated the house for termites.  There is also no permit on record for the house because treated by Mr. Scutt or Mr. Joiner, as the seller’s disclosure claimed the home was tented.  Ms. Mc Cord was aware of this fact as she was the individual who provided me with the permit search and sellers disclosure.

Additionally when I had the termite inspection and the inspector commented that there was evidence of termites, Ms. Mc Cord stated that there was no evidence of live termites and the evidence was leftover the termite treatment by the seller.

6.        Ms. Mc Cord misrepresented the property and prevented my right to a proper inspection.  On the day of the home inspection the inspector, after the sale of the home, noted to me that there were concerns (e.g. the wood deck off the kitchen now rotting/unstable) that he brought to Ms. Mc Cord’s attention that Ms. Mc Cord ignored and did not bring to my attention.  Additionally, the inspector stated that access to the attic was “blocked” by a number of the seller’s belongings.  Ms. Mc Cord allegedly attempted, but claimed she was unable to reach the seller, to move the belongings, which consisted of a few linens and light items.  Mr. Baranski stated to me that he worked with Ms. Mc Cord on other home inspections and that Ms. Mc Cord has on past inspections, moved any belongings blocking his access, even without the owner’s consent.  Ms. Mc Cord refused to do so on the inspection of my home because she was concealing serious, material defects in the home.  The most serious of these defects is when I fell through my bedroom floor in the middle of the night, only to discover the entire foundation and floors underneath were wet and rotting.  I also have proof and witnesses who stated that Mr. Scutt was seen working beneath the home shortly before the sale and had concrete poured afterwards, thus blocking access to the crawlspace.  Not surprisingly, Ms. McCord likely had knowledge of this, the work was not disclosed, and there were no permits.  The repairman who patched the area stated (even without knowledge of these events) that someone had been working under the home “recently.”

Based on the lies and fraudulent misrepresentation of the home by Ms. Mc Cord, I am left in a home with unsafe living conditions and I am faced with thousands of dollars in repairs.  Ms. Mc Cord lied and I can prove that she lied through witnesses and other evidence.  On their internet profile Irongate Realty claims their realtors are members of the Manatee Board of Realtors.  I attempted to contact the Sarasota/Manatee Board of Realtors to file a complaint against Ms. Mc Cord.  Upon contacting the local real estate board I was not surprised to learn that I was unable to file a complaint as Ms. Mc Cord was not a member.  I did discover, however, that Ms. McCord’s husband, David Mc Cord, with whom she works at Irongate Realty in Manatee County is also a licensed contractor, broker, sales associate, and inspector.  Upon an internet search of the Mc Cord’s in the Manatee County database I uncovered pages of lawsuits filed against Mr. Mc Cord for his “work” in the community.  And while my complaint is not against Mr. Mc Cord, it is obvious that Vickie and David Mc Cord are unscrupulous individuals who are deceiving members of the public. 

I would also like to note that I did contact Ms. Mc Cord when I began experiencing the serious, structural defects in the home.  Ms. Mc Cord denied any responsibility, noting that the home was sold as-is no warranty, with the right to inspect.  However, the as-is no warranty contract does not legally exclude Ms. Mc Cord from revealing the serious defects she knew existed in the home or were brought to her attention by the individuals mentioned above in the sale of the home.  Addition, under Johnson v. Davis, even with an as-is real estate contract, a seller can still be held liable for damages for concealing serious structural/mechanical defects on the property, a liability that extends to the sellers agent, in this case Ms. Mc Cord.