{"id":5314,"date":"2024-04-26T07:20:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/26\/a-squatter-and-her-goat-refused-to-leave-my-san-antonio-home-this-is-how-i-got-rid-of-them\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T07:20:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:20:57","slug":"a-squatter-and-her-goat-refused-to-leave-my-san-antonio-home-this-is-how-i-got-rid-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/26\/a-squatter-and-her-goat-refused-to-leave-my-san-antonio-home-this-is-how-i-got-rid-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A Squatter and Her Goat Refused To Leave My San Antonio Home\u2014This Is How I Got Rid of Them\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

Johann Frank \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The house seemed like such a deal.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera<\/strong>, a house flipper for 15 years around San Antonio, TX<\/a>, was excited to buy the five-bedroom, 2.5-bath property on Dahlia Terrace for $175,000. The woman living there was facing foreclosure<\/a> and agreed to sell him the home.<\/p>\n

At closing, he paid the woman her share of the sale money, which amounted to about $12,000. He also gave her a week to move out and hand over the keys.<\/p>\n

At that point, the previous owner stopped replying to his texts and calls. When he drove by the house, he saw that it was still very much inhabited\u2014and there was even a goat tied to the front porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw the goat, I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, s\u2013t,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cKeep in mind, this isn\u2019t some oil town. It\u2019s not the backwoods. We\u2019re in San Antonio!\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabrera tried to approach the door, but the goat was not having it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kept coming for me,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018I better not get any closer.\u2019 This is crazy. It was a very unique situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that his name was on the property\u2019s deed, the previous owner \u201cwas a squatter,\u201d he says. \u201cA squatter with a goat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The five-bedroom San Antonio, TX, home had a goat tied to the front door.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera knew he had to evict a woman and her goat.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera<\/p>\n

Why squatters are so hard to get out<\/h2>\n

Squatting<\/a> has become shockingly common in the U.S., with stories of people refusing to vacate properties they neither own nor rent. These trespassers are notoriously difficult to remove due to tenants\u2019 rights laws and in certain states, squatters\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

In New York, for example, any individual who\u2019s lived in a property for 30 days<\/a> cannot be evicted\u2014even if they had no right to be there in the first place.<\/p>\n

In one recent case, Adele Andaloro <\/strong>was even arrested after changing the locks<\/a> to her childhood house, where she found squatters. (The squatters got to remain in the house.)<\/p>\n

On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/strong> signed legislation aimed at making it easier for police to intervene if someone lives in a home without legal permission or documentation. The law states that \u201ca tenant should not include a squatter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabrera, whose company, Sell My House Fast SA TX<\/a>, has flipped about 200 homes, had never faced a situation like this before.<\/p>\n

When the owner of the goat initially contacted him on the Fourth of July weekend, she was facing foreclosure within days. He thought the house would make a great investment, and he wanted to help her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was in a bind,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I\u2019m a problem solver.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached out to about 300 law firms to acquire a temporary order to stop the foreclosure. The only lawyer willing to work on a holiday weekend charged him $5,000 instead of the usual $1,200.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put so much time, energy, and money into the house,\u201d says Cabrera. \u201cAnd now she won\u2019t leave and I\u2019m stuck with her and her goat. And it wasn\u2019t a little goat, either. It was a solid-sized goat.\u201d<\/p>\n

When a home\u2019s inhabitant refuses to leave<\/h2>\n

In Texas, a squatter may be able to remain in a property if they\u2019ve lived there and paid taxes for five years. In Cabrera\u2019s case, an attorney who specialized in evictions explained that this woman would be considered a \u201ctenant at sufferance\u201d and had certain rights.<\/p>\n

Whether Cabrera\u2019s seller was technically a \u201csquatter\u201d also depends on whom you ask.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think of squatters as random individuals who simply move in and take over someone else\u2019s property,\u201d says Texas real estate attorney Keaton Frieberg<\/strong>, who works with Cabrera. \u201cBut it is possible to view the previous owner in the goat example as a squatter. In a Texas court opinion, it was mentioned that the \u2018defendant\u2019 neither owned nor rented the home but, in simpler terms, was a \u2018squatter.\u2019 In Texas, the term is used loosely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless, it was abundantly clear to Cabrera and his attorney that the former homeowner had no right to be in the house. Nonetheless, forcing her and her goat out into the street wasn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n

Cabrera\u2019s lawyer posted a three-day eviction notice on the home\u2019s door. (Thankfully, the goat was no longer standing guard.) Yet, the woman stayed.<\/p>\n

The next step was for the eviction request to work its way through the court system. After two months, Cabrera\u2019s lawyer attended the hearing for the verdict. Since the former homeowner did not show up, the judge ruled in Cabrera\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

It took about three more weeks (and an additional $500) to get law enforcement to accompany Cabrera to the house.<\/p>\n

On Nov. 29\u2014nearly five months after closing on the house\u2014Cabrera returned to the residence with two police officers. The woman wouldn\u2019t open the door, which Cabrera expected. He had brought along a locksmith to open the door. Then he learned the goat was now living in the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goat butted one of the officers,\u201d says Cabrera. \u201cHe said, \u2018The goat got me good.\u2019 The officers were like, \u2018This is nuts in here.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The previous owner was living here with several animals, including a goat.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera<\/p>\n

The home was also overrun with cats and dogs. Yet the woman was surprisingly friendly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce the door was open, she immediately came over to us, saying what a nice guy I am and how much I\u2019d helped her,\u201d Cabrera recalls. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Are you kidding me?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Cabrera also had a moving crew with him\u2014and they immediately started removing the woman\u2019s possessions and placing them in the driveway. That\u2019s when they realized the woman was a hoarder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot of trash,\u201d says Cabrera, who also called animal control to retrieve the goat.<\/p>\n

The woman refused to leave her house even after being paid.<\/p>\n

Daniel Cabrera<\/p>\n

\u201cI assumed they were going to take the goat, but they didn\u2019t,\u201d Cabrera says. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s every day they have to deal with a goat. They had no idea what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, to get the woman to leave, the police had to threaten to arrest her. She left, but only so far as the driveway, where she sat down on a mattress with a few of her cats.<\/p>\n

Cabrera knew the woman had a boyfriend as well as children, but none of them took her with them. The woman\u2019s son did show up for the goat.<\/p>\n

The next morning, Cabrera returned to the house to begin renovations. He was stunned to see the woman was still on her mattress in the driveway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel terrible about anyone sleeping outside all night,\u201d he admits.\u00a0But by the next day, she was gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel for her,\u201d Cabrera admits, surmising that she had mental health issues. He also knows from experience that many homeowners facing foreclosure can become irrationally attached to their homes, holding onto them even when it is in their best interest to sell.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have people who are thinking, \u2018I\u2019ve lived in this home for 20 years, I raised my kids in this house. This is the first property my husband and I bought,’\u201d says Cabrera. \u201cThere\u2019s an emotional connection. Unfortunately, some people can\u2019t accept they\u2019re getting foreclosed on until the sheriff literally comes to the door and kicks you out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Homeowners in tough situations like this are much better off selling, he says, noting that this woman \u201ccalled me at the last possible minute, on a holiday weekend. She would have been foreclosed on in three days. I doubt any of the other local homebuying companies could have helped her. With me, she was given months to find another situation, and she walked away with some money versus walking away with nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, she now has no debt and no foreclosure on her credit report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Evictions involving animals<\/h2>\n

Frieberg, a partner with Texas Suits<\/a> who has done \u201chundreds\u201d of evictions, advises investors to never pay the homeowner until the person has moved out, which can prevent situations like the one Cabrera faced.<\/p>\n

If a squatter still refuses to vacate, Frieberg says it can be less expensive to do a \u201ccash for keys\u201d transaction. This is where the investor pays the squatter to leave rather than going through the court system.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can give the person money to leave or pick up their moving costs,\u201d Frieberg says. \u201cInvestors don\u2019t like to hear that, especially if they\u2019ve already paid for the house, but it can be a lot less expensive and time-consuming than going to court.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least a quarter of Frieberg\u2019s evictions involve animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I know there\u2019s going to be animals at the residence, I call the local shelters,\u201d he says. \u201cUnfortunately, lots of times the shelters are so full, and they\u2019ve got nowhere for these animals. So then I\u2019ll put the animals on Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, he says, someone who was evicted left behind eight puppies. Frieberg posted them on Facebook and found them all homes.<\/p>\n

If an animal seems dangerous, such as a vicious dog\u2014or in this case, a goat\u2014Frieberg recommends leaving the situation to animal control. However, he only calls the agency as a last resort because, he says, \u201cI don\u2019t know what happens to them.\u201d (City animal control will often euthanize animals because the centers are so full.)<\/p>\n

The cost to clear an illegally inhabited house<\/h2>\n

All told, Cabrera spent $7,500 on legal bills to remove this home\u2019s former owner. He spent an additional $50,000 and two months cleaning up and rehabbing the house.<\/p>\n

He quickly sold the house for $295,000, earning a $40,000 profit.<\/p>\n

Cabrera transformed this home on Dahlia Terrace.<\/p>\n

Realtor.com<\/p>\n

The new goat-free front door<\/p>\n

Realtor.com<\/p>\n

The kitchen is new.<\/p>\n

Realtor.com<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have made more, considering everything I had to go through,\u201d says Cabrera. \u201cBut it was a solid investment. Earlier in my career, I may have lost money on this. But by now, I\u2019m good at figuring out if a house will be profitable or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the drama with the house, he earned a solid $40,000 profit.<\/p>\n

Realtor.com<\/p>\n

The bathroom is transformed.<\/p>\n

Realtor.com<\/p>\n

Cabrera says this flip taught him a valuable lesson to never let his emotions sway his judgment. In this case, he\u2019d felt sorry for the woman, which allowed her to take advantage of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re going to a closing, make sure you\u2019re getting possession of the home. Don\u2019t give the owners an allotted time to move out,\u201d he says. \u201cIf they have to move out to collect their money, there\u2019s far more incentive for them to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tells this goat story as a warning to anyone looking to buy a property inhabited by someone in dire straights, whether due to foreclosure, the inability to pay rent, or other issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cA regular homeowner wouldn\u2019t have known what to do.\u00a0This is the difference between a regular homeowner and an investor,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m more accustomed to difficult scenarios\u2014and this one threw even me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post \u2018A Squatter and Her Goat Refused To Leave My San Antonio Home\u2014This Is How I Got Rid of Them\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com\u00ae<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Johann Frank \/ Getty Images The house seemed like such a deal. Daniel Cabrera, a house flipper for 15 years around San Antonio, TX, was excited to buy the five-bedroom, 2.5-bath property on Dahlia Terrace for $175,000. The woman living there was facing foreclosure and agreed to sell him the home. At closing, he paid…Read More→<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/billingsrealtybrokers.paradiseinnovations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}