NORTH NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Marcia Jordan has lived in the same two-block radius her whole life.
"It has changed tremendously," said Marcia Jordan. "Thirty years ago it was a family community. I felt connected. I felt loved. I knew my community."
Jordan reached out to NewsChannel 5 concerned that part of a new home next door to her on Ireland Street was indeed built on her property.
Her case turned out to truly be a case study of urban gentrification.
Jordan's home sits in between eight new builds. There used to be just one home on either side of her home.
She said never has a developer offered her enough money to buy another house in the same community.
"They want to give you maybe $400,000, and they build four, and they sell them each for $850,000. So, you're getting over $3 million, and [I] don't get enough to even buy me a house in Davidson County?" Jordan said.
Unfortunately, during recent construction of a home, some damage was done to Jordan's fence, her carport and possibly a window. Jordan also pointed out that a gutter on the new house next-door touches her fence.
"It's touching. It's touching. He built a house on my fence," Jordan said.
A few weeks ago, Jordan parked her car against the fence to make a point. It prompted the developer, Rick Wells, to drive out and talk to her — the first time in about three years.
During the interview with Jordan, the developer showed up.
As part of the process, I had plans to reach out to the developer after interviewing Marcia. We stayed at the property, and let the developer and the homeowner have their discussion. The truth of the matter is this is very rare. Few homeowners get the chance to negotiate.
Watch this interaction in the player above.
Wells: To repair one window...
Jordan: ... how much am I going to get for that?
Wells: $100.
Jordan: No, I'm tired of $100. We agreed to $300.
Wells: $200 and you got a deal.
Jordan: $250
Wells: $200
Jordan: $250
Wells: How about $200?
Jordan: How about $250?
Wells: I'm repairing your fence. I'm doing all this.
Jordan: I'm helping you. You're going to sell this, baby. I've been here 30 years! You owe me! I don't owe you. You come in — new. I've been here 30 years! I've taken your abuse all this time, and I'm tired of you! I am sick and tired of you!
When we went to the city to check on some things, we discovered that in actuality the fence was not on Jordan's property. A land survey showed the majority of Jordan's fence and some of a concrete path are not on her property.
But in talking with Jordan, it's realized this is about much more than damage and a fence.
"I want somebody to just respect me. Take me seriously and just give me a little respect. If you want to use something of mine, ask me. Don't take it," Jordan said.
Jordan is the last one in an original home on Ireland Street. Because of what it once was, she is committed to staying.
"We used to sit on the porch, play cards, everyone knew what everyone else was doing. We looked out for each other. I hate to leave it, even if it's not here anymore. I know that's crazy, but I just hate to leave it," Jordan said.
There is something called adverse possession which allows someone to take care of land even if they don't technically own it.
The law can be hard to navigate and the correct use can be hard to prove. If you're trying to establish property rights or just need more information, you should talk to a real estate attorney.
Additionally, your local property assessor's office or register of deeds can be helpful. In Nashville, the planning department also has an online free parcel viewer.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
