Everyone knows the housing market is in a chaotic state right now, but a recent sell in Fairfax, Virginia, shows just how desperate people are to buy a home.
All appears to be normal on this Zillow listing, until you get to one rather peculiar line: “NO ACCESS to see lower level and Home sold AS IS, ONLY with acknowledgment that home will convey with a person(s) living in lower level with no lease in place.”
That’s right, the new homeowner of the two-story, 3,500 square foot home would have to agree to let a squatter continue to live in the basement. And someone did agree! The home went off the market on April 15 for $805,000.
Both the owner’s and buyer’s names have not been listed, but the agent handling the sale briefly spoke to the New York Post about the strange agreement.
According to the agent, the seller is an elderly man who is ill and hospitalized, and the woman living in the basement is “taking advantage of him.” The agent said the woman was cleaning he owner’s house three years ago when, in a gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss move, she convinced him to let her move in and decided to stay without paying rent. The Post reported the owner’s family can’t afford the legal fees to kick the woman out.
The woman has a different story, however, which she shared with WUSA9 earlier this week. She claims she helped “rescue the house” from its mess and cheer up a lonely older man, who in return allowed her and her daughter a place to live after her divorce.
Neighbors aren’t quite sure what to make of the situation. Those who spoke with WUSA9 said that when the woman moved in, things did seem to improve around the house. However, they’re still unsure whose story to believe.
To claim squatter’s rights in Virginia, a person has to live in a place for 15 years and not hide the fact that they’re living there. She seems to be three years into a 15 year sentence, so time will tell if the new tenet lets this progress.
