photo credit: Daquella manera

Yesterday evening, I pulled into my subdivision to a startling sight.  Furniture and clothing was piled up in the yard of the house next door to ours.  My husband reported that the police had just left.  Then it became apparent what was happening, the people next door had gotten evicted.

The house had been for sale for over a year.  I suspect that was somewhat due to the market conditions but more likely due to the fact that it was overpriced.  It was under contract once but the deal fell through when the potential buyers’ earnest check bounced and they didn’t show up at the closing.  The house sat empty for a few more months then some renters moved in.  They stopped paying rent because of “necessary repairs” but I’m a bit skeptical.  The house is only 4-5 years old so I’m not sure what kind of drastic repairs would be needed.  Nevertheless, they were evicted.

Of course I don’t know the full story but both parties (renters and owners) seem a bit short-sighted.  Because of their refusal (or inability to pay), the renters came home from work to discover they were homeless and because of their seemingly quick eviction, the owners now have to carry that probably sizable mortgage payment again.  Unless they’re willing to lower their asking price, the home probably won’t sell if they put it back on the market and I suspect it’s hard to find renters for a house of that size/calibre.

I’ll be watching to see what happens though because I definitely don’t want the neighborhood to deteriorate.  Has anyone else seen similar things happening where they live?