Getting onto the property ladder today often requires years of savings, but one man’s story demonstrates that a few months of diligent effort might just secure enough money to buy an entire street of homes.
Admittedly, certain errors need to take place for such an occurrence, but it proves that it’s possible!
Jason Fauntleroy, hailing from Ohio, discovered this firsthand when he decided to purchase a plot of land in Trenton, located just north of Cincinnati, with the intention of building a home for himself.
Fauntleroy spotted an auction listing at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in 2021, and invested $5,000 to acquire the land.
Unexpectedly, Fauntleroy didn’t just secure a single plot; he also acquired an entire street named Bloomfield Court, which encompassed five other occupied properties.
Trenton City Manager Marcos Nichols, speaking to WCPO, expressed uncertainty about the error, stating: “I’m not sure how that occurs other than it was a private drive that was created through a homeowner’s association.
“The homeowner’s association was responsible for maintaining that property and upkeeping it.”
While Fauntleroy did not acquire the other five homes on the road, the responsibility for road maintenance, previously managed by the homeowner’s association, now fell on him.
Three years after the incident, Trenton initiated the process of reclaiming the land through eminent domain.
Fauntleroy contended he wasn’t receiving fair compensation for the land, arguing that only the lot he purchased was appraised, instead of the entire road.
He described his attempts to engage with the city as a ‘nightmare’, stating: “They shut me out. They blocked my calls. It’s hard to even get through anybody.”
Nichols informed WCPO he couldn’t comment on the appraised value, but mentioned the city’s intention to obtain the road to transform it into a public roadway, which would then place maintenance responsibility on the city.
Fauntleroy maintained he should have received a better offer, asserting: “Treat people fair; do honest work. Don’t just take advantage of someone because they don’t have the means of getting an attorney.”
For updates on the situation, the City of Trenton has been contacted.