A little blue house is selling for almost half-a-million dollars even though its recent history is filled with drugs, prostitution and almost two years of squatters.
The house located at 1198 Twin Oaks Drive has been a terror for a western Chula Vista neighborhood ever since the owner died without a will.
Squatters swooped in and kept returning every time police cleared them out.
“It’s completely changed. We’re not afraid anymore,” said Donna Saar, who has watched the criminal activity from across the street. “It was bad. It was bad. It was scary.”
She said as many as 23 people stayed in the house at a time. At one point, 10News reporter Joe Little entered the house with his news camera to confront the squatters. They said they had every right to be there. Chula Vista Police had a roadblock because the owner was deceased and his relatives hadn’t taken control of the house until this year.
Saar watched things get worse at the house from across the street.
“I saw prostitution. I saw use of drugs,” she said. “They’d park in front of my house and come over and buy the drugs and you could just see this happening daily.”
She even attended Chula Vista Police’s Citizen’s Police Academy to help law enforcement identify the crimes.
Her information helped lead to a raid last year. The squatters still returned until relatives of the deceased owner finally filed paperwork to take control and eventually sell the house.
Police moved the squatters out, the home was sold and renovated. It is now on the market for $469,900.
“It’s over. This is beautiful. I’m just waiting for a nice family to move in.,” said Saar.
