SQUATTING IN STYLE: Here’s a story from Boca Raton, FL which we found amusing–but then, we’re not one of this guy’s neighbors:
Andre Barbosa is squatting in style.
The 23-year-old has moved into an empty $2.5 million mansion in a posh Boca Raton neighborhood, using an obscure Florida real estate law to stake his claim on the foreclosed waterside property.
The police can’t move him. No one saw him breaking into the 5-bedroom house, so it’s a civil matter. And representatives for the real owner, Bank of America, said they are aware of the situation and are following a legal process.
But the situation is driving his wealthy neighbors crazy.
You’re not going to believe this, but Bank of America is unresponsive:
“This is a very upsetting thing,” said next door neighbor Lyn Houston. “Last week, I went to the Bank of America and asked to see the person in charge of mortgages. I told them, ‘I am prepared to buy this house.’ They haven’t even called me back.”
But just who is this ‘Andre Barbosa’ anyway?
Barbosa, according to records, is a Brazilian national who refers to himself as “Loki Boy,” presumably after the Norse god of mischief. He did not return calls… Barbosa also posted a notice in the front window naming him as a “living beneficiary to the Divine Estate being superior of commerce and usury.”
All your base are belong to him, no doubt.
Barbosa is using something called adverse possession, wherein somebody who occupies property can claim it after a certain amount of time. He’s certain to be evicted at some point, but in the meantime he’s getting free rent on a very expensive house.
THREE AMEX APPS AT ONCE: You may have heard of the Citi two-browser trick, but hats off to My Money Blog for taking things up a notch. MMB applied for the business Gold, the personal Gold, and the Blue Cash Preferred all at once, and was approved for all three. Doing three at once has the benefit of giving you only one credit bureau pull for the three apps.
Personally, we’re not inclined to try this ourselves. Amex could always decide to blacklist somebody found to be doing this, and we wouldn’t do be on the Amex blacklist given the great products they have. But still, we’re always happy to read about the exploits of the more daring among us.
20-PAGE PHOTOBOOK FOR $2: Details at Slickdeals.
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