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CONFESSION #0751 — POST-CLOSE CATASTROPHE
Monday, August 3, 2026
We were in multiple offers. Beat out six other buyers, closed in 21 days, everyone's thrilled. Buyers move in on a Saturday. Sunday morning my phone rings at 7 AM.
"There's sewage in the basement."
Not like a little water. She's saying "It's coming up through the floor drain and it won't stop."
Turns out the main sewer line was collapsed. Had been for years apparently. Previous owners just... didn't use the basement bathroom. Ever. Inspector ran water upstairs, it drained fine because it takes a while to back up. Nobody caught it.
"The plumber says twelve thousand minimum. He says it might be under the street."
I said "Did you get the home warranty?" and she goes "You told me it was optional."
I did tell her that. I did say those exact words.
Her husband gets on the phone and he's calm, which is worse. He just says "We trusted you to guide us through this."
That's it. That's all he said.
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Judge Reginald Escrow III
⚖️ Presiding
GUILTY OF CRIMINAL OMISSION OF WARRANTY ADVOCACY IN THE FIRST DEGREE, WITH AGGRAVATED SEWAGE NEGLIGENCE
The Court is APOPLECTIC. You stood at the threshold of fiduciary duty and said "eh, your call" about a HOME WARRANTY while a COLLAPSED SEWER LINE lurked beneath that basement like a dormant volcano of human waste. "Optional," you said. OPTIONAL. You know what else is optional? Seatbelts. Smoke detectors. Telling your mother you love her. But we RECOMMEND THEM, counsel, because we are not MONSTERS. The husband's calm voice haunts this Court because Reginald too has been on the receiving end of that quiet disappointment, specifically from a Nordstrom returns associate in 2019, and I still think about it weekly. You guided them through six competing offers, you shepherded them to a 21-day close, and then you LEFT THEM STANDING IN A BASEMENT FULL OF SEWAGE like some sort of fecal Willy Wonka revealing the worst room in the factory. Per the landmark decision in Septic Tank Nightmares v. Buyer's Remorse, 2022, an agent who uses the word "optional" for protective coverage while secretly knowing inspections are basically tarot readings for pipes shall be held in CONTEMPT OF COMMON SENSE. The Court must now go lie down because this ruling has disturbed something deep within Reginald's spirit.
The Optional Betrayal
Have a confession? Judge Reginald Escrow III's docket is always open.
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