Annaleine Reynolds was astonished to discover that a massive $500,000 (£400,000) house had been built on the piece of land she purchased six years ago.
In 2018, Annaleine acquired a one-acre lot in Hawaiian Paradise Park, situated in the Puna district on the island, for approximately $22,500 (£18,500) at a county tax auction.
Auto Draft The land met all of her criteria, and she intended to utilize it after the pandemic, during which she resided in California.
Then, unexpectedly, she received a call from a real estate broker with astonishing news.
A brand-new house, valued at half a million dollars, had been erected right on her property.
"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 recalled, recounting the perplexing conversation.
Auto Draft As it happens, a local developer named Keaau Development Partnership had hired PJ's Construction to build several homes for them in the neighborhood.
Regrettably, one of these homes was mistakenly constructed on Annaleine's land.
To address this matter, Annaleine has enlisted the help of Honolulu attorney James DiPasquale.
He highlighted the confusion surrounding the situation, stating, "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."
Auto Draft Peter Olson, representing the developer, noted that the lots in the densely forested Hawaiian Paradise Park appear 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 told AP.
In the meantime, residents have observed that the empty house has attracted squatters.
In a somewhat related incident, Dr. Daniel Kenigsberg encountered a similar surprise.
He discovered a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house had unexpectedly appeared next to the land of his childhood home.
He purchased a half-acre plot at 51 Sky Top Terrace in Connecticut in 1991, just outside New Haven, near where his father bought a home in 1953 for only $5,000.
However, Dr. Kenigsberg's tranquility was shattered when a friend informed him that construction had commenced on his property.
In a peculiar turn of events, the parcel was sold to 51 Sky Top Partners LLC for $350,000 in October 2022.
Now, Dr. Kenigsberg is pursuing legal action against the company on nine different charges, including trespass, statutory theft, and unfair trade practices.
Meanwhile, neighbors have observed that the unoccupied house has become a magnet for squatters.
