A home sale on Joe Drive in Warren was thrown into chaos when a vehicle slammed into the side of the house, leaving major damage just hours before the buyers were scheduled to close. The buyers had traveled from New York expecting to sign paperwork and collect their keys. Instead, they spent about 30 minutes walking through the wreckage inside the home they thought they were about to own.
The crash happened overnight, and neighbor David Pearce said he heard a loud bang before discovering the damage the following morning, according to ClickOnDetroit. Pearce described the side of the neighboring home as having been smashed to pieces, and said debris and bricks flew toward his own property. He reported the crash to police after seeing the extent of the destruction.
Sale Left Hanging After Years of Planning
The homeowner, who relocated to Florida, had been preparing to sell the house as she planned for her retirement, per the outlet's reporting. Instead of closing on schedule, the sale is now in limbo while the extent of the structural damage is assessed and repairs are negotiated between the parties involved.
Michigan’s Seller Disclosure Act provides a narrow rule for this kind of timing problem: if information in a disclosure statement becomes inaccurate because of an event after the statement was delivered, that inaccuracy does not itself violate the act. The crash occurred just before closing, but the available account does not establish when the seller’s disclosure was delivered or how the purchase contract addresses damage before closing. The state law’s post-disclosure rule helps explain why the new damage is a separate issue from what the seller knew when disclosures were made.
Donny Konja, the homeowner's broker, said an offer has been made to place $25,000 in escrow for repairs in hopes the deal can still move forward. Konja believes the repair costs will likely fall to the driver's insurance company once that person is identified, the station's report notes — though no such identification has happened yet.
Michigan requires auto policies to include Property Protection Insurance, which can pay up to $1 million for damage a vehicle causes to other people’s property in the state, including buildings. That makes auto insurance a potential avenue for the home’s repair costs, but it does not establish who will pay in this case: police have not identified the driver, and the claim and responsibility have yet to be determined. Michigan’s insurance agency explains the coverage and its limits.
Driver Still Unidentified as Investigation Continues
Police have not said who was driving or what led up to the crash. Warren police say the case remains an active investigation and that no one is currently in custody, per the same account.
A surveillance camera in the area captured a person getting into a dark-colored SUV around 4 a.m., shortly before the crash was discovered, and that footage is now part of the investigation. Warren police are asking anyone with information to contact the department as they work to determine who was behind the wheel and what caused the vehicle to strike the home.
