Friend Derails Sale, Extorts Owner for Thousands of Dollars

An individual was attempting to sell their home, where they had allowed a friend to stay on occasion. There was no lease, no money was exchanged — it was simply a favor granted by the owner to a friend. When the friend learned they had TOPA rights, they claimed they had interest in purchasing the home, derailing the sale the owner had arranged. The owner eventually paid the friend thousands of dollars to give up their TOPA rights in order to sell the house, but by then, the original buyer had walked away from the deal. The owner lost thousands of dollars, not only by buying the TOPA rights, but in mortgage payments on an unoccupied house.

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