Posted on 07/06/2017 2:38:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A Cobb County woman is filled with frustration after she says strangers moved into the vacant house she was selling without her knowledge.
Getting them out is tougher than you might think.
Channel 2's Ross Cavitt talked to both sides of this problem and found out important information for homeowners.
Dena Everman couldn't believe it and can't believe the situation she is in.
After finding someone living in her home, and a broken window in the back, she assumed a quick call to the police would clear out the trespassers.
"I found out in the past week there is some archaic law that says if someone sets up residence in your home, it doesn't matter how they get in there they have rights until we evict them,” Everman said.
She says the family found it listed for rent on Craigslist, they signed a lease by fax, paid their rent via money order, never saw the ad poster and only learned there was a problem when Everman called the police.
The next day she went to the courthouse where she says deputies told her she could stay.
"And they told us until these people come and forcibly evict us they can't force us out on our rights," Pritchett said.
Pritchett says the family is looking for another place to move, but admits for now they're staying.
"We're not just trying to stay in your home and hold you up on your sale. But at the same time, we just spent $3,000 -- that's not something we can just pull out and immediately move somewhere else, you know,” Pritchett said.
Everman is mad, she may lose the pending sale on her house, and tells me her posts on her situation have generated anger.
"Outrage. Everybody doesn't understand why someone who has no legal right to be in my home can stay in my home and I'm the one who has to evict them,” Everman said.
A lawyer who handles these cases told Cavitt that in real estate, possession really is nine-tenths of the law and the homeowner will have to go through the painful eviction process, which could take four to six weeks.
When I was selling my house in 2013 this happened. One Friday night a man knocked on my door and asked if my house was for rent. He told me that he saw my house for rent on Craigslist for 900/month. I could get about $1,700 a month. He already answered the ad, and got a reply.
The person replying claimed that he was on a missions trip in Nigeria. also, he was to send him via Western Union the first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and a $900 deposit.
They probably sent the $3,000 deposit to someone in Nigeria via Western Union.
The Craigslist ad used my house’s “For Sale Listing,” in their rental ad.
It is probably a nigerian scam. Someone from Nigeria tried to do it with my house when I had it for sale.
Sometimes people just disappear without a trace.
If you know you are STEALING from someone and continue to flaunt it in their face, I’m not being hyperbolic when I say I really don’t care if someone off’s you.
I read she signed a lease by fax. Some transactions should not be done online or via fax if you have never met the recipient of your money. It’s too risky. If I was about to spend $3000. for something as significant as a family home, I would want to know something about who was getting the money, and if there were any conditions that would automatically void the deal.
Making a deal like this still doesn’t explain why someone chose to smash in the back window.
The kind of person who would try buying a house in this manner may have their own things they wish to hide.
The person probably smashed the back window, because the person that set up the scam said it was okay.
The occupants were victims too. Some slack needs to be cut in that case, but not to the point of causing harm to the owner. Have the occupants pay rent until they can relocate, which must be timely.
If she loses the pending sale, the legal remedy should be against the scammer, not the occupants.
So, did you or the bank report the attempted scam to the appropriate authorities? If not, why not?
Yeah I reported them to Craigs list and they basically told me that’s the chance you take when you go on Craig’s list and to be careful and use your common sense etc. Authorities dont care. I don’t know if the bank did anything. I’d pressed more if I had got ripped off. I still see a bunch of this stuff still going on now and then.
Then pull the electric meter, jump the contacts, and call the power company and inform them that your neighbor is stealing electricity.
While your at it leave a 2 foot marijuana plant for the cops
THAT would do it! Speaking of 2 ft plants. Saw a guy around sunset walking across the street from a bar with a weird looking plant. He went over a small field to a wooded area and ducked into the cover with the plant. A guy on a motorcycle stared at him, too. We’re in PA. I know it was medicinal.
In south fla Its everywhere. Go to the beach and get a contact high. Cops don’t even look anymore.
But don’t walk around drinking beer in a bottle. Plastic is okay, glass will get you in trouble
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