A Texas real estate agent detailed the worst squatter case he’d ever encountered in his experience helping homeowners remove squatters from their properties, saying damages would have totaled $150,000.
George Huntoon told FOX News Digital in a phone interview that the squatters were eventually removed from the property, but the house remained unrecognizable. The filthy conditions made the house uninhabitable and the damage was so severe that the house no longer stands.
The squatters lived in the house for one to two years before Mr Huntoon arrived to help in January 2023. It wasn’t until April 2023 that all squatters were finally removed from the site.
A Texas real estate agent told Fox News Digital about the worst squatter housing he’s ever seen. Repairs will cost about $150,000. (George Huntoon)
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Huntoon previously said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital that the owner of the property was an elderly woman living in a nursing home, so the owner’s cousin brought him there.
“This Murray Hill house was truly a house of horrors, unlike anything anyone had ever seen,” Huntoon told Fox News Digital.
“Criminal activity was off the rails and the police were coming in on a regular basis, probably once a week. There were just drugs going around, but for whatever reason the police could arrest someone and they would be there the next day. was back on the streets and they just couldn’t figure it out,” Huntoon added.
Mr Huntoon said there were “easily 10 people” in the house at any given time, and they all contributed significantly to destroying the wreckage.
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“The characters changed frequently, but on any given day I went there there were on average well 10 people,” Huntoon said.
While George Huntoon was going through the legal process, he was also trying to evict the squatters from their homes. (George Huntoon)
The house soon became in a condition that Huntoon describes as “uninhabitable.”
He described rotten food strewn across the property and plumbing that was barely functioning. He described in detail how the walls had been turned into a canvas for spray-painted graffiti and how the rooms were filled with piles of stolen junk.
Huntoon frequently visited the house and tried to force the squatters to leave on their own, while at the same time proceeding with court proceedings to evict the squatters.
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His approach to their removal included detailed cover stories that created a sense of trust. He hinted to the squatters that the police were coming to the mansion. Slowly, they started leaving the house, but Huntoon said three or four of them kept coming back. The remaining squatters were eventually arrested by police.
When squatters live on a property, it affects not only the property owner, but also other people living nearby. If that happens, the damage caused to the homeowner may fall on the homeowner’s shoulders, even if he or she is just trying to get their rightful home back.
“The city was trying to put the blame squarely on the owner because they were blaming her for all these people and the mess,” Huntoon said. “The city decided to red tag her home after complaints from her neighbors.”
Eventually, the remaining squatters living on the land were arrested. (George Huntoon)
“Her house was occupied and things were just snowballing and getting out of hand,” Huntoon added. “So I had to keep telling the city, ‘Look, I’m here, I’m on your side, but I need you to support me.’ I had to go to court a few times.”
After the squatters left, Huntoon made plans for the house. He said reconstruction was not on the table due to the huge costs caused by the extensive damage.
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“After we got everyone outside, we placed a large dumpster in the driveway and completely emptied the house so we could actually see everything. While I looked inside, , different vendors came in,” Huntoon said. “It will cost approximately $150,000 to renovate this home and return it to a presentable, normal, livable home.”
The house was sold, but the damage caused by the squatters was so severe that it did not survive.
“They just bulldozed the land,” Huntoon said of the current owners. “Right now it’s just dirt.”
