My name’s Evie, I’m 30, married, and after years of hard work, my husband and I finally bought our dream waterfront home. But the real challenge wasn’t the move—it was our neighbor, Tammy.
Three days after settling in, Tammy introduced herself and casually informed us that she and her family “always” used the backyard and dock. I politely told her the deed listed those as ours. She brushed it off and acted like it was her right.
Things escalated quickly. She threw a birthday party on our lawn without asking, brought in a bounce house, and even sent drunk guests to use our bathroom. When we insisted on boundaries, she called us selfish.
So, we built a fence and added some upgrades to reclaim our space. Tammy exploded. She called the police, but everything we did was by the book. Her boyfriend, Randy, made it worse by getting aggressive with the cops—and was arrested.
Peace returned, but the tension lingered until we got a call from the out-of-state owner of Tammy’s unit. He wanted to sell—and offered it to us first. We didn’t hesitate. A few weeks later, I showed up at Tammy’s door… as her new landlord.
She was furious, refused to cooperate, and stopped paying rent. But then her mom, Darlene, showed up. With kindness and banana bread, she apologized for her daughter and promised they’d be gone by month’s end—rent paid in full.
As the moving truck pulled away, my husband and I breathed a sigh of relief. We had our peace, our view, and full control of the property. And we learned a valuable lesson:
Sometimes, the best way to protect your peace is to build a fence—and buy the house next door.
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