Buying a home is something that millions of people dream of accomplishing one day. The simple joy of owning something that is yours is one thing that is incomparable with anything else. The one amazing thing about owning your own home is that you're able to do whatever you want with it. You can alter the outside, mix up the inside, paint, repave, and remodel. It's something that people look forward to for years and years.
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Homeowner Gets Angry Letter From Neighbor Over 'Graffiti' Garage Door Design
One thing people try to do when they buy a new home is get to know their neighbors.
Unsplash | Outsite Co
Like any feature film has taught us, buying a home means that you're supposed to make friends with your neighbors. Who doesn't want to get invited to block parties and garage sales?
Sometimes, our neighbors are warm and welcoming.
Unsplash | Christian Stahl
We love neighbors who make us feel like we're right at home in the community, even from the very beginning. There's nothing like feeling like you belong to your new community.
But, there are some neighbors who are just straight-up mean and unwelcoming.
Unsplash | Andre Hunter
Some neighbors just can't be happy with absolutely anything. They, instead, make their other neighbors' lives a bit more difficult because things are "too loud" or "too different" for their taste. You know, basically the worst kind of people.
Recently, one woman received the nastiest letter from an anonymous neighbor who didn't appreciate her home decor.
Unsplash | Emma Frances Logan
Imgur user soundguy said that a woman in his neighborhood Facebook group posted a letter that she received anonymously. It wasn't one of those "nice" anonymous letters from a good Samaritan, either.
The letter was from someone who was outraged over the way the woman had decided to paint her garage door.
The letter called the painting "graffiti" and said that it "devalued" the neighborhood and its homes. The letter stated that the painting on the garage door made the neighborhood look like a "low-income ghetto."
The letter also said the homeowner had a "total lack of respect" for everyone else in the neighborhood.
The letter indicated that the woman was "tasteless" and that her painting compromised everyone else's home property and value. Mainly for those who live with a "[wall facing] the garage" where they need to see the painting from their window.
The letter closed out by saying that the homeowner has "no class."
They said that they're "angry" that every visitor they have in their home has to drive by this person's house and look at the painting on the garage. They compared it to "driving through the hood."
This neighborhood dispute went viral after it was posted to Imgur.
Unsplash | Glenn Carstens-Peters
The post got over 130,000 views and over 1,000 people commented on the issue, with many siding with the homeowners. Overall, people online agreed that this anonymous letter was completely out of line.
Some commenters speculated that the intention behind the letter could have been racist.
Unsplash | Evan Dvorkin
Based on the letter's repeated focus on "low-income neighborhoods" and "property values," some Imgur users believed that the letter could have been racially motivated.
"Property values are one of the places racism hides in plain sight," one user said.
As it turned out, the family who owns the house also believes racism played a part in this incident.
Unsplash | Kon Karampelas
After the post on Imgur went viral, the Shah family of South Etobicoke, Canada spoke to the media about their experiences.
In a Facebook post, mom Sapna Shah shared this message:
"It’s been a few day's [sic] since my 6 yr old asked me why someone wrote such a hateful letter to us," she said.
As it turns out, the painting on the garage looked far from graffiti.
It seems as though the person who wrote this letter may not know what "graffiti" actually looks like.
People online were confused, saying that this painting made the garage "look beautiful." One person even said it looks as though kids live here and they did a family art project.
In fact, Shah revealed that they had actually commissioned this piece on their garage from a well-known local artist.
Unsplash | russn_fckr
The mom of two was shocked to receive such a hateful response to her family's latest artistic addition to their home.
The Shah family has received a ton of support, both from their community and strangers online who read their story.
Unsplash | Álvaro Serrano
It looks like this family is taking the high road when it comes to dealing with this unfortunate letter.
Shah responded to the letter publicly in a Facebook post and told the person who wrote it that she and her kids feel sorry for them.
Most people can't seem to understand what would drive someone to be so aggressive with their neighbors.
One person summed it up rather well:
"Can you imagine being this unhappy with your life that something as minuscule as this sets you off that much? Good lord."
Exactly.
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