A Reddit user shares a recollection from their past as kids when they intentionally destroyed a house they were meant to occupy because the owner backed down from selling to them despite having been paid a deposit.
Looking for a House
According to the OP, their family was looking for a large house to live in back in the early 2000s. They found one, and the father talked to the owner, who agreed to get the plumbing fixed before they moved in. They agreed that the owner should move all their stuff into the two-car garage as the fixing was ongoing, and this would give them the leeway to collect these things easily.
The OPs family fixed the plumbing issues, landscaped the garden, and cleaned the pool and everything around the house. This completely transformed the house.
The Problem
Here is where the problem comes in.
OP’s dad had paid a cash deposit for the house. There was no paper trail, and this meant that the owners could take advantage of the situation, which they did.
They called the dad several days before the designated moving day to tell him they had changed their mind about selling the house. They also informed him that they would not move their stuff out of the garage or fix the remaining plumbing issues in the showers and bathtubs inside the house.
No Refund
They told him he could do the fixing himself and deal with staying without a garage or give up on the house completely. They were not going to refund the deposit he had given them. They told him they were thinking of bringing someone else since the house was more valuable now after the fixes they had made.
Since the owners had called OP’s dad to deliver this news to him at 8 pm on a weekday, he asked them to allow him to turn in the keys they had given him the next morning. Since he had not signed any paperwork, there was nothing attaching him to the house. There was no camera or any form of security measure.
Destroy the House
The dad brought every kid over to the house for a party. He instructed them to destroy the house as much as they could. The kids shoveled sand into the pool, others punched holes through the walls, others broke down any fixtures that could break, and others ripped open the landscaping. The father and stepmother went through the owner’s valuables in the garage, looking for something to pawn or sell. They found jewelry and other collectibles for sale.
The next day the dad called the owners and told them he had put the keys in the garage with its doors open for them. He unplugged the phone, and they never heard from these owners again.
The Masses Weigh In
There were mixed reactions about this from Reddit users. Most people supported their actions while others thought there was a better way to solve this problem.
One offered a similar story, “I know a family that faced a similar issue, but they bought an abandoned house that had a maintenance lien on it. They fixed up the rotting structure, completely rehabilitated it and the whole yard, and legally purchased it from the bank it had defaulted to for the back taxes owed on it. But then the former owner swooped back in to steal it from them by paying the outstanding maintenance lien and claiming he did all the work to the property which he didn’t. All of this for the purpose of selling it to his sister from under them. They tried fighting it, but then the bank went ‘oops, we messed up your paperwork several months ago too and nobody noticed until now, so you’re screwed.’
At the hearing, the judge told them they had 30 days to leave, no matter how much their neighbors vouched for them. So they went back home and did much of what OP described. They shattered every window, ripped carpets, tore up all the nice work they had put into the yard that would require those large expensive dumpsters to properly clean out. Pretty sure they knocked out a few walls and let their pets defecate everywhere too. Then they rode off into the sunset with a massive hurricane tailing them, and no windows to protect them from the elements.”
Terrified
Stuff like this put off some investors, “Stuff like this is why I’m terrified to attempt to buy a For sale by owner property that says absolutely no realtors for the buying property or doing handshake/verbal deals.”
One user pointed out that selling a house is a process, “Selling a house (or any property) without a written agreement, is technically, practically and absolutely giving away money without getting anything in return ->For a property to change ownership, you have to, have to have it notarized in public records, otherwise it has legally not changed owners.
So, if you give someone a bag of money and a handshake, you can’t prove that you purchased the house/property and since only the current owner can initiate the change in legal ownership (a realtor does this on the current owner’s behalf), if they don’t do that and you have no contract, then you can’t prove that you actually purchased said house/property.”
Don’t Give Money Without a Receipt
According to one user, if you give money without a receipt, you are a moron, “Only a moron gives others thousands of dollars without a receipt. Doesn’t matter if it’s cash or not.”
“I’m not one for vandalism, but when the “victim” initially tried to do the same to you financially, I think that balances the board,” said another.
When everything is in writing, such mistakes can be avoided; according to one user, “Absolutely get everything in writing. I made the mistake of not doing this years ago and learned my lesson.”
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This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
