Man Pays £7,200 For £39 Strip Of Grass Thinking He Was Buying A Cheap House

A Florida man learnt first-hand the dangers of online auctions after he thought he was getting himself a bargain villa for $9,100 (£7,200) but actually ended up with a one-ft-wide, 100-ft-long strip of grass instead.

And if that's not bad enough, the poor bloke has since been told it's very unlikely he'll be able to get a refund. Ouch.

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Kerville Holness, from Tamarac, thought he was bidding on a villa worth $177,000 (£140,500) in an online auction of properties that had defaulted on their taxes.

However, after popping in his bid of $9,100 and thinking he'd bagged a steal, it transpired that he'd actually been bidding on a small strip of grass between two houses. The piece of land is reportedly worth $50 (£39).

The little strip of land starts between the mailboxes of the two houses and then goes under a wall which is separating the garages of the villas, before going through into the back gardens.

Despite paying well over the odds, officials in Florida say that Holness can't do anything about the sale.

Speaking to the Sun Sentinel Holness, said: "Its deception. There was no demarcation to show it's just a line going through, even though they have the tools to show that.

"If I'm vindictive enough, I can cut right through the garage wall and the home to get to my air space, but what use would that be to me?"

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Well, none at all, but speaking as a petty person, I have to admit I'd be tempted.

Holness told the news outlet that the property appraiser images linked through to a site that seemed to show the villa as the item that was being bid on. But the appraiser's site and the county's tax site say that the property has no value and lists its size - 100 square feet.

The county has placed a warning on the auction site urging investors to 'do your research', adding that 'Tax Deed sales are not for the uninformed'. But the warning isn't able to help first-time bidder Holness.

Gary Singer, a property lawyer from the US, told the newspaper: "He may go to court and find some error in the sale procedure. Generally speaking, he bought what he was supposed to have bought."

Oof. Hard lines, pal. Maybe buy a lawnmower?

Topics: US News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19