Neighbors of “Karen” are angry with this person for buying land next to them and not planning to build a house like everyone else
What type of home does a person need to be happy? The answers to this question will vary greatly. For some it’s a luxurious apartment in a New York penthouse, for some it’s a spacious old house outside the city, and for some just a small MIL suite surrounded by forest is enough for pure bliss.
Each of us has our own perception of a good home, and very often it does not coincide with the views of others. Well, the more people there are, the more opinions there are – but sometimes it happens that they, these people around us, simply try to impose their own point of view, passing it off as “the ‘public opinion”.
Just like “public opinion”, the author of this post in the AITA Reddit community once met. The story, told by user u/lovemycar66, garnered nearly 9.8,000 upvotes and over 1.2,000 mostly sympathetic and supportive comments. So let’s try to investigate this situation.
More information: Reddit
The author of the post managed to buy a large piece of land with a large burnt down house and a MIL suite
Picture credits: John Coley (not the actual photo)
The author of the original post admits that they have always wanted to live in a cozy little house, and since they live alone, they have no desire to constantly clean a large space. And then, one fine day, the Original Poster had the chance to buy something decent at a more than affordable price.
Picture credits: lovemycar66
The buildings were surrounded by about half an acre of real forest
It was a large patch of land, overgrown with trees, where a large house once stood. In fact, this house burned down some time ago, so the buildings left on the site were a large three-car garage, as well as the adjacent MIL suite, consisting of a bedroom, bathroom and of a small kitchen. And all of this was surrounded by about half an acre of real forest!
Picture credits: lovemycar66
The PO admits that they came to inspect the site and the house several times, and they really liked everything. Due to the fact that a large house in this area burned down, the price was low enough that our hero could really afford it. As a result, they bought it and moved in.
Picture credits: lovemycar66
According to the OP, they liked almost everything. The MIL suite was larger than any apartment the OP had ever lived in before, the garage was comfortable for cars and bikes, and the large yard with shrubbery around it was perfect for walking the dogs and having a barbecue with friends. In general, the OP was completely satisfied, which cannot be said of their neighbors…
Picture credits: lovemycar66
Neighbors almost immediately began asking the new owner when they were planning to rebuild a large house
Literally after the first meeting, the neighbors started pestering the PO with questions about when they planned to rebuild the burnt down house. Learning that our hero had no such plans, people were very surprised – they said how difficult it must be for them to live “in the garage”.
Picture credits: lovemycar66
People told the owner that their land in its current state was hurting the value of other homes as well
According to the neighbors, the unbuilt plot, on the one hand, stood out too much against the background of large and beautiful houses along the entire street, and on the other hand, it reduced both its own value and the sale value possible neighboring houses.
Picture credits: lovemycar66
When the OP said they didn’t care, and that anyway the fire had happened in their “predecessors” time, the neighbors got even angrier, saying they were in very good terms with the previous owners. In general, the neighbors managed to shake the self-confidence of our hero, and they began to think seriously – were they really doing the right thing by refusing to build a more spacious house on their site?
Picture credits: perthhdproductions (not the actual photo)
People in the comments claimed the neighbors should just mind their own business
And yet, the people in the comments tried to dispel any doubts the OP had. Commentators say it’s not about property values at all, but about micromanaging neighbors who want to tell you what you can do with your own property. In any case, if the owner of the site does not violate any local laws and regulations, the neighbors have absolutely no right to impose their point of view on them.
Additionally, professional real estate agents also came to the comments, who noted that the value of neighbors’ properties would not be so badly affected that they had to do so. The most common advice given to the original poster by reviewers was to simply ignore unsolicited advice and live happily in your own home.
Anyway, having your own house is much more convenient than renting an apartment – after all, a terrible landlord can always appear. For example, as happened with this student from Singapore, who faced unfair additional financial demands after signing a deal. Either way, as always, we look forward to your feedback on this particular story.
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