So, the other day I took a different route to work, just for a change of pace. It was the 15 minute drive instead of the usual 11 minutes. Typical rural back road, more deer/turkey then cars/people. I did a double take going past one house and actually turned around and passed again to get a picture. In the front yard is a plank with “GET OUT” painted by hand.
I told my gf about this and she told me the sign has been there at least a year (she likes the road and drives it every so often). What she didn’t remember seeing was the lots across the road from the GET OUT house all being for sale! Pardon the poor through-the-windshield shot. There are five houses in a row, all for sale, all by the same realty company.
We had the same type of situation going on in my town on a particular stretch of road directly across from a large Forest Preserve. There are seven houses in a row - this is an old, originally residential area, that now has, on one end, a shopipng center, an apartment complex, a self storage place, a church, and then 7 houses that have been there for what looks like forever - old growth trees, the architectural styles - they were built most likely in the 20’s or 30’s. There was one house that had a huge NO TRESPASSING sign at the end of the driveway, then the next six houses were all for sale, all by the same realtor. We were looking to move at the time, so I called the realtor and asked her if any of them might be for rent. She explained to me the situation that had started this all.
At the time this happened, there were some developers in the area that, along with the village and their TIF programs and rezoning frenzies, were getting a little too greedy/grabby/pushy with homeowners in this general area and shopping centers were getting bigger and bigger and closer and closer to some of these old homes in this part of town. In an effort to put a stop to the nonsense, the neighbors decided to do something about it.
The one homeowner with the no trespassing sign was just a mean as hell old guy who wouldn’t talk to ANYONE and every other house that was for sale was listing starting at at least 5 Million Dollars. Apparently it worked, because the houses are all still there, the realtor signs have been gone for a few years, and the developers have moved further north in the town to bother other people in an actual commercial district.
Oh - forgot to add - we also got a whole new Mayor and Village Council - we voted all those “We’re going to take over the world” idiots OUT in the next few years.
Well, I tried. Called the realty number this morning and explained I was interested in (gave the address), but was curious about the home across the street with the weird sign. The woman I spoke with offered to discuss the situation face to face. I told her I didn’t want to waste time if it was a big deal. She refused any details unless I came in and discussed it in person.
