‘WIBTA if I said, “match the buyer’s price, or they get the land and can do as they please”?’: Failed to stop fraternity house in our neighborhood. Should I sell anyway?

Burner as former neighbors follow main.

So check it, a few years back my fam and I moved to this college town. And let me tell ya, folks warned us to steer clear of getting sucked into a “studentified” neighborhood. Basically, this college town had a lack of student housing so these developers would swoop in and try to turn regular family neighborhoods into frat row. Not a cool vibe, man. The city was going through a zoning overhaul, and the university managed to sneak in a provision that got rid of some restrictions that kept the student housing at bay. Not cool.

We tried to rally the neighbors to put some restrictions in place, but no dice. I even bought a vacant lot nearby to try and keep it from becoming a frat house, but no one was really down for it. Fast forward a bit, and now we’re bouncing from this town. Sold our house but couldn’t offload the empty lot. Now this frat wants to buy it and possibly put up a new chapter house or sell it to another Greek group. The old neighbors are flipping out, hitting me up about it.

So, I’m thinking of telling them – “Hey, match the buyer’s price, or they get the land.” What do you think, Moving Diaries?

Later Gators, Seeking Advice

Response from THE MOVING DIARIES:
Hello There,

While it’s understandable that your former neighbors are concerned about the potential consequences of selling the vacant lot to a fraternal organization, it’s also important to acknowledge that you did try to involve them in preserving the neighborhood by proposing covenants and offering to keep the land vacant. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, they were not able to take action at that time. Given the current situation where you have a willing buyer, it seems like a practical approach to suggest that they match the buyer’s price if they are truly passionate about preserving the neighborhood. This way, everyone has an opportunity to contribute to the outcome they desire. However, if they are not able or willing to do so, it may be necessary to proceed with the sale and allow the buyer to use the land as they see fit. It’s a challenging decision, but ultimately, you have to prioritize your own financial interests as well.

Best regards,
THE MOVING DIARIES