A man in New Jersey showed his love for his son by buying a four-bedroom house in Pennsylvania. His son, Mark, wanted to live there after finishing college. The man, John, saw this as both an investment and a way to stay close to his son. John commuted between New Jersey and Manhattan for work, making it work.
At first, their arrangement went smoothly. John took care of expenses like taxes, services, and maintenance for the house, while Mark handled the rest. Life was good until Mark met Lisa, the love of his life. They decided to turn the Pennsylvania house into their shared home.
The young couple blended well with each other’s families, and everything was going great until they got engaged, and the topic of their wedding came up.
The drama starts
A “get to know you” barbecue took place at the Pennsylvania house to introduce both families and celebrate the engagement. Initially, the event appeared to be going well, with everyone getting along.
However, things took a turn for the worse when John’s wife, daughter, the bride-to-be’s mother and sisters, and Mark all entered the house together. Shortly after stepping inside, John’s wife and daughter emerged looking visibly upset. They announced that they were leaving immediately to return to New Jersey but refused to explain why they were suddenly so distressed.
Instead of pressing the issue further, John decided to drive his wife and daughter back to New Jersey, as he explained in his Reddit post. Once they had a chance to collect themselves, he learned the reason behind their abrupt departure. It turned out that while inside the house, the bride-to-be’s family had informed John’s wife and daughter that they were not “their kind of people” and, as a result, had uninvited them from the wedding.
Shocked by this revelation, John reached out to Mark to address the issue. Mark explained that Lisa’s family felt their social status wasn’t on par with his family’s and worried they might cause embarrassment at the wedding, leading to the uninvitation.
After giving it some time, John drove from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to have a face-to-face conversation with Mark. To his astonishment and disappointment, he encountered an unforeseen situation upon his arrival.
John’s unwelcome surprise
When John arrived at his Pennsylvania house, he was taken aback to discover Lisa and her family had moved in without informing Mark or seeking his permission.
When Lisa’s family inquired about his presence, he explained his intention to speak with his son about the wedding situation. In response, they insisted that he vacate the house, which prompted John to make a significant decision. He recounted, “I lost my temper and told them they had 30 days to leave. I told them to inform my son that I’m selling the house, and he could find another place to live with all of them. I went to a local realtor and listed the house for sale.”
This decision was made in Mark’s absence. In fact, Lisa called Mark at work to inform him of the situation, believing that the house belonged to him, not his father.
Upon receiving the news, Mark called his father to inquire about the sale of the house. John explained that, as his son had chosen to distance himself from the family and was living in the house without paying rent, he needed to vacate the property.
John’s perspective was that his family had been sidelined by the in-laws, and they were no longer a priority. Consequently, he issued a 30-day notice for Mark, Lisa, and Lisa’s family to leave the property, with a warning that legal action might be taken if necessary.
Many people on Reddit sided with John, expressing the view that asking Mark and Lisa, along with Lisa’s discourteous family, to leave the house was the right course of action.
What actions would you take? Please share your thoughts in the comments!