Woman Shocked To Discover Someone Had Built $500,000 House On Land She Bought Years Before

Annaleine Reynolds got the shock of her life when she found out that a whopping $500,000 (£400,000) house had been built on the piece of land she bought six years ago.

Back in 2018, Annaleine snagged a one-acre lot in Hawaiian Paradise Park, located in Puna district on the island, for about $22,500 (£18,500) at a county tax auction.

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She was drawn to the land because it ticked all her boxes and planned to make use of it after the pandemic, during which she stayed in California.

Then, out of the blue, she received a call from a real estate broker with some jaw-dropping news.

A completely new house, valued at half a million dollars, had been constructed right there on her land.

"He told me, 'I just sold the house, and it happens to be on your property. So we need to resolve this.'"

"And I was like, what? Are you kidding me?" she recounted the bewildering conversation.

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It turns out, a local developer, Keaau Development Partnership, had tasked PJ's Construction with building a series of homes for them in the subdivision.

Unfortunately, they ended up building one of these homes on Annaleine's property by mistake.

To tackle this issue, Annaleine has brought Honolulu attorney James DiPasquale on board.

He pointed out the chaos of the situation, noting, "There's a lot of fingers being pointed between the developer and the contractor and some subs."

"It would set a dangerous precedent, if you could go on to someone else's land, build anything you want, and then sue that individual for the value of it."

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Peter Olson, defending the developer, mentioned that the lots in the thickly vegetated Hawaiian Paradise Park look very similar.

"My client believes she's trying to exploit PJ Construction's mistake in order to get money from my client and the other parties," Olson expressed to AP.

Meanwhile, neighbors have noted that the vacant house has become a magnet for squatters.

In a somewhat related story, Dr. Daniel Kenigsberg experienced a similar surprise. 

He discovered a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house had unexpectedly popped up next to the land of his childhood home.

He bought a half-acre plot at 51 Sky Top Terrace in Connecticut in 1991, located just outside New Haven, a stone's throw from where his dad purchased a home in 1953 for a mere $5,000.

But Dr. Kenigsberg's calm was shattered when a friend informed him that construction had begun on his land.

In an odd twist, the parcel was sold to 51 Sky Top Partners LLC for $350,000 in October 2022.

Now, Dr. Kenigsberg is taking legal action against the company on nine different charges, including trespass, statutory theft, and unfair trade practices.