HOA President Listed My House Online — But I’m a Real Estate Lawyer
When I saw my own house listed for sale online, my coffee nearly hit the ceiling. Address correct. Photos accurate. Even my backyard swing set was in the pictures — the one my daughter used every morning before school.
Except… I never listed my house.
At first, I thought it was a scam. Then I saw the agent name: “Authorized by HOA President, Marsha Clay.”
My stomach dropped.
Marsha — the woman who’d once bragged that “no one moves or paints a mailbox in this neighborhood without my signature.” The self-appointed queen of cul-de-sacs. I called her immediately.
“Marsha, why is my property on the market?”
Her voice was smug. “You were late with your HOA dues—three months. Per our bylaws, the association can take preliminary steps toward liquidation.”
Liquidation. For $390 in late fees. I tried not to laugh. “Marsha, I’m a real estate lawyer. You just committed about seven kinds of fraud before breakfast.”
She didn’t flinch. “You think you can scare me with fancy words? I’ve been running this community for twelve years.”
So I said, calmly: “Marsha, keep the listing up. Don’t touch a thing.”
And I hung up. Then I went to work. Within two hours, I filed a cease-and-desist letter to every realtor platform she’d used — Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, even Craigslist. By the time she checked her email, her fake listing was pulled down and flagged for investigation.
But that was just the opening move.
I drafted a civil injunction against the HOA for unlawful conversion of property, malicious intent, and defamation — and because I knew the system better than she did, I looped in the state’s Real Estate Commission and the County Recorder’s Office.
By Monday morning, Marsha’s phone was exploding with calls — not from me, but from state investigators.
At 9:17 a.m., I received a text:
“You’ve made your point. Let’s settle this quietly.” Too late.
The Board called an emergency meeting that night. Half the neighborhood showed up. I sat in the back as they read through the complaint — my complaint — detailing every regulation she’d violated for years.
Someone shouted, “Wait, she’s been charging us double landscaping fees?” Another neighbor added, “And pocketing it?”
By the end of the meeting, Marsha’s vote of confidence failed 42-to-1.
She resigned the next day. As for me? I didn’t demand damages. I didn’t even want her fined.
I just made sure that every search result for her name now included the court filing — the one where she tried to sell a lawyer’s house without permission. Sometimes justice doesn’t need shouting. It just needs precision. And a good Wi-Fi connection.
To be continued in comments 👇