There are many ways to buy a home besides getting a traditional mortgage, including using owner financing.

What would you do if you got your home with owner financing and then the owners threatened to take the house back because you got behind on lawn maintenance?

That is what the homeowners in this story experienced, so they planned the most vindictive revenge possible.

Check it out.

Threaten My Home? No, That’s Not Going to Happen

About 20 years ago the ex and I bought a house.

The financing was done through an owner contract.

Weren’t in love with that, but we really liked the house.

A little odd, but at least they got their dream home.

There was an escrow company that took our money and gave it to the people we bought from, and some to the old guy they bought it from.

He was a peach, too. We’ll talk about him later.

The folks we bought the place from lived in Montana.

Any contact between us was supposed to be by registered mail.

Sounds very friendly.

But the wife would call us every so often just to talk.

Neighborhood gossip and such. No biggie.

We got along with the neighbors well, so I thought.

Some people really value a good-looking yard.

The dude next to us, he was in his early 80s, had commented on why we didn’t keep the yard up to his standards.

Yeah, it happens. But we thought we were still still friendly with them.

So I’m sitting at home about 8am on a workday that I’d taken off, minding my own business, getting ready to relax my day away.

Phone rings.

It’s the wife of the folks we bought from.

Starts pretty typical, but quickly launches into all the phone calls they’ve gotten from “all” our neighbors calling about us failing on the yard work.

Yeah, it was true. Life gets in the way.

This is really over the top.

Her: Well, the contract says you have to keep things up or we can foreclose. We’re thinking of coming over this week to get the keys back from you.

Me: I’m sorry. We’ve been busy. Other priorities right now.

I’m sort of embarrassed, so I’m trying to just be apologetic and reasonable.

Her: Well, all the neighbors have been calling about your yard.

Me: I know which neighbor you’re talking about.

Her: Well, it’s not Crabby Old Neighbor (CON)

Me: Thanks for confirming it was him.

Her: Well, the tulips in that yard were planted by my dead sister who brought the bulbs back from Holland.

Me: I can dig them up and send them to you.

Her: Well, the contract says.

I’m digging out the contract. It talks about keeping the place sanitary. Nothing to do with the lawn not being mowed for 2 weeks.

Me: The contract says nothing about the yard.

Her: Well, we’re coming over this week to get the keys.

Me: No court, no nothing. Just show up and expect me to hand over the keys and walk away?

Her: Yup

Me: Not happening. Here’s why: Number 1. You’re getting nothing without going to court. We have rights and you showing up and taking the keys, well we have a right to that not happening. We’ll see you in court.

Number 2. You’re on notice that we do not want you on our property. You’re trespassed and I will call the law.

Number 3. The contract also says that we can only contact by registered mail.

Her: Click

I worry. My day off was pretty much ruined.

But something kept popping into the evil side.

Her dead sister’s tulips from Holland. They’d just bloomed.

My first thought was to dig them up, throwing them in the compost and taking a pic of them to send.

But I liked our tulips.

So go to the Walmart and pick up some tulips bulbs.

Wow, that is really mean (and kind of funny).

Bring them home, stomp them, shove them into a ziplock, put them in a padded envelope and sent them to Montana.

Oh, I added a note. **** your dead sister, **** her bulbs, **** your yard and **** you. See you in court.

A few days later CON’s wife caught me at the mailbox and told me how cruel I was for digging up the previous owners dead sisters tulips.

That the previous owner had called CON’s wife all crying.

Told her that the gal had threatened my home and that I take that very seriously.

And that she should tell CON how seriously I take it.

Never heard from the previous owner again.

CON and wife moved away about a year later.

We had all sorts of fun in that year. That’s a different story.

This is pretty mean but I guess if she valued those bulbs so much, she could have taken them with her.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

Always know what is in the contract.

Yeah, why was this guy relaxing on his day off if his yard was a mess?

Yup, act like the lady was crazy.

Yeah, they just wanted the home back.

I would hate to be in business with anyone from this story.

It just makes you want to become a hermit.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.