OXFORD, N.C. — Rose Mary Taylor can get a bit emotional when talking about the house she grew up in. The modest wooden home on about an acre of land in Oxford, NC, has certainly seen better days.
The home is still standing but is falling apart and unlivable. The memories of living there however are as strong as ever.
“I love the outside, love freedom, no crowds, the birds and animals, whatever,” Taylor said.
Tucked off a two-lane road the home is surrounded by a grove of trees. As for it being quiet, I guess that depends on your definition. The area certainly is and probably was, but Taylor has six brothers and nine sisters.
“Sixteen kids lived here,” Taylor said.
The home has been abandoned for many years, but the land belongs to Taylor.
“My daddy deeded it to me,” Taylor said.
Last year, Taylor decided to move from the Triad and head back home. She went looking for a modular home to put on the property.
“I decided it was time for me to go put my house down. I picked out (the) home I wanted and plans that suit me,” Taylor said.
The home was around $230,000 and Taylor was all set to move in late last year. After all the paperwork was signed and deposits made, the home was delivered and set up. Taylor went by a short time later.
“I told them no, no, no, this is not what I picked out,” Taylor said.
The house is apparently different than what Taylor wanted. She told WFMY News 2 the windows were not the same, the cabinets were wrong, and so was the bathtub.
Taylor said the home she wanted also came with a fireplace.
“This is not what I chose,” she said.
After trying and failing to convince the company to take the house back, and get another one she called WFMY News 2.
“I didn’t want that house,” Taylor said.
We immediately contacted the company to try and understand what happened. A representative with the company contacted us and tried to explain the issue.
The company told us Taylor was provided with the house she selected and there was no mistake made. Taylor disagreed and refused to make a payment on the house.
WFMY News 2 asked for documentation from the company that shows the house delivered was in fact the house Taylor purchased.
We were consistently told the house delivered was the house Taylor purchased and signed for.
Yet, WFMY News 2 was never able to see a copy that clearly showed the details about the house Taylor wanted compared to the one that arrived.
We did however continue to have conversations with the company about the deal and the fact that Taylor was adamant she would not pay for the house.
This case took several months, multiple phone calls and emails, but eventually the company agreed to unwind the transaction.
The deal was basically voided a few weeks later. Taylor did lose a bit of money from a deposit, but she was no longer responsible for the loan.
“I’m glad you helped me because I pleaded with so many people to try and get this resolved,” Taylor said.
A couple of months later, the home was removed, and the land is basically back to how it was.
There are still a few stakes in the ground outlining the spot where the home was but there is nothing else there. The old house is still about a hundred yards away in the back by the grove of trees.
In some ways, the property looks sad, but Taylor is more than happy we helped her get out of this deal.
“I’m happy, glad I can move forward with my life,” Taylor said.
It’s unclear what’s in store for the land now, but maybe someday a new house will go up and a new batch of memories will follow.
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