A Central Texas family is devastated and angry after their grandmother’s home was demolished without their consent, reports KVUE.
In March 2024, Robert Alexander stopped by the family property at 118 Kimble Lane in East Austin. But the house he expected to see, where he and his brothers were raised, had been bulldozed to the ground. All that remained were broken boards and lost memories.
Don’t miss
- I’m 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don’t panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
- Gain potential quarterly income through this $1B private real estate fund — even if you’re not a millionaire. Here’s how to get started with as little as $10
- Robert Kiyosaki warns of a ‘Greater Depression’ coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 ‘easy-money’ assets will bring in ‘great wealth’. How to get in now
“Everything was still inside — all of our family heirlooms. Everything was destroyed,” Robert’s brother, Kelly Alexander, told reporters.
What’s worse, the demolition happened shortly after their brother Charles, who had been living in the home, moved out due to repeated calls and letters warning of tax issues. Months later, the Alexanders discovered a new duplex foundation had been poured on the land that they own.
Developer claims property was ‘foreclosed’ on
While different members of the Alexander family have lived in the house for decades, the family as a whole fell behind on property taxes.
"I kept getting letters and things like that — phone calls saying that we were behind on taxes and we had to leave, so that’s why my brother [Charles] left. And immediately after, that house was torn down," said Kelly Alexander.
But how could a developer build on the land without the Alexanders’ consent?
KVUE Defenders launched an investigation to get to the bottom of the situation. Public records show that the home at 118 Kimble Lane still lists Julia Alexander — the family matriarch who passed in 1979 — and her son Charles, who lived there until 2024, as the owners.
Precise Custom Homes, the development company that built the duplex, owns the lot next door, which has no listed street number. Despite that, online listings and city permits show the new duplex at 120 Kimble Lane, with demolition permits issued in February 2024, just weeks before Robert’s visit.
According to Julia Null, a real estate attorney, the new duplex straddles two lots: Lot 9, which the developer legally purchased, and Lot 8, which still belongs to the Alexander family. In other words, it appears the developer demolished the family’s home on Lot 8 and built across both lots, even though only one was legally theirs.
When KVUE reached out to Danny Olivarez, the president of Precise Custom Homes, he refused to comment, calling the family “complainers” who were “trying to get something for free.”
He later claimed that Lot 8 had been “foreclosed” on in the 1970s, but a KVUE check with the Travis County Tax Office found no foreclosure on record, though it did show roughly $15,000 in back taxes owed. A spokesperson from the county tax office said there was no record of any foreclosure or attempts at foreclosure.
When asked for paperwork on the foreclosure, Olivarez simply told reporters, "no." Meanwhile, a renter who now lives in the duplex that was built on the Alexanders’ property claims he had no idea about the land’s history.
"But to hear that, you know, all this is happening, is very unfortunate,” said Joshua Labauve.
Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
The Alexanders won’t back down without a fight
Null, who reviewed the case with KVUE, confirmed that Lot 8 is still listed as part of Julia Alexander’s estate.
“It appears that a developer bought Lot 9 and then, unfortunately, forced the family out for Lot 8, took down their home, bulldozed it and then moved into it and actually built on it,” she said.
The deed the developer purchased even states explicitly that the land butts up to Julia Alexander’s land, indicating that the developer should have known it doesn’t own the adjoining property.
While property laws vary, heirs like the Alexanders retain legal rights to inherited property, even if it’s been decades since the original owner passed. Leaving a home unoccupied or owing back taxes doesn’t give another party the right to take the property. Only a formal foreclosure process can do that, and no such action appears to have occurred here.
Meanwhile, the family says they’re not letting this go.
“Oh, it makes us angry. It makes us very angry,” said Kelly Alexander. “We’re ready for a fight.”
Null noted that this kind of unauthorized development happens more often than people realize, and often goes uncontested because families aren’t aware of their rights. The Alexanders are now considering filing a lawsuit against Precise Custom Homes for taking their property and destroying their family home.
To prevent situations like this from happening to you and your family, there are a few steps you can take: keep property titles current, pay taxes or set up payment plans, and ensure heirs file probate documents or other legal claims of ownership.
The Alexanders, meanwhile, are preparing legal action, and their story should serve as a warning to families with inherited property at risk of being overlooked or overtaken.
What to read next
- JPMorgan sees gold soaring to $6,000/ounce — use this 1 simple IRA trick to lock in those potential shiny gains (before it’s too late)
- This is how American car dealers use the ‘4-square method’ to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs
- Here are 5 ‘must have’ items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?
Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Related Posts
