$16 Home? Owner is Forced Out
Kenneth Robinson, owner of a $16 house, has been forced out of the place he called home.
Robinson took ownership of the building after paying $16 to file the claim of a $340,000 home in Dallas. After gaining fame for his savvy, he published an e-book and offered classes to prospective squatters. Robinson also created a website about his experience, but it has been taken down.
On Monday, Robinson was informed that Bank of America is demanding possession of the home it foreclosed on last month. He was given until Feb. 13 to either appeal the foreclosure or move out. According to reports, Robinson took the latter option and refused to tell the courts or reporters where he was moving.
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Reporters from the Associated Press were able to track Robinson down and talk about the experience of gaining a home for very little money. "They think some bum off the street came and paid $15 to get a $300,000 house by filing a piece of paperwork. That is not the case. That is the sum of what happened," he said.
Foreclosure rates have been increasing nationwide, with the rate in Texas currently at one in every 1,133 mortgages, according to a report by Texas' comptroller, Susan Combs. Many families are now working with a branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement to occupy homes being foreclosed.
The group encourages homeowners to squat in the home until the very last minute; foreclosing on a home takes several months, during which families may illegally stay in the home. Occupy Wall Street has interrupted and prevented foreclosure auctions for occurring, giving people more time in their residences.
Robinson also told The Associated Press, "The truth is I don't want people to think that they should go out there and do anything based on what I did."
