I need to put a linky in the scammed thread for this one.
I have a house in Indianapolis that I’m trying to sell. We moved out, and left it in some sorry shape, so we contracted with someone who was associated with the real estate agent to do the work. Handyman repairs, heavy cleaning, etc, to the tune of $1800.
The house went on the market 1 December. I got the contractor an agreed upon $900 around Christmas, and work was supposed to be done 3 weeks later, roughly 15 January. It wasn’t, and she kept farting around on me, so I fired her the second half of March.
She still has my $900, and I’ve depleted all of my cash reserves hiring someone else to finish what she started.
I’ve demanded my money back, without response. I have a lawyer buddy who will write a legal nastygram demanding a refund; I’m not holding my breath. My question is, what small claims court has the jurisdiction if I file suit?
The house is in Marion County, IN. The real estate office (the contractor was a tenant, not an employee) is in the next county over (Hancock). I’m now legally a Virginia resident.
My arrogant wishful thinking is that Virginia could have jurisdiction, and I would get a default judgement on a no-show, but I want to get that confirmed/denied before I waste money on filing fees.
FWIW, I am not after the real estate agent. She’s treated me well, and kicked the goldbrick out of the building because they got stiffed, too.