Man Secretly Outbids His In-Laws for Nearby House — and Doesn't Even Tell His Wife

One man seeks the support of fellow Redditors after secretly outbidding his in-laws for a house on his own family's block in an attempt to enforce some boundaries.

“My wife has a somewhat difficult relationship with her parents,” the man explains in the Reddit post. “The usual stuff you see on this sub[Reddit]: lack of respect for boundaries, bossiness, unsolicited opinions about personal choices.”

The situation escalated when a house two doors down from the couple went on the market. The in-laws, who had been considering moving closer after retirement, saw this as an opportunity and excitedly informed the couple of their intention to bid on the property.

But, their approach was less than competitive. “Their sense of entitlement extends to real estate and they put in a low bid full of conditions,” the poster notes.

Concerned about the prospect of having his in-laws as neighbors — and worried about his wife’s well-being — the poster took matters into his own hands. He quickly formed an LLC and made a full-price offer on the house, which was ultimately accepted.

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When the poster’s in-laws found out about the purchase, they were outraged despite not knowing who was behind the deal. “The in-laws raged against the ‘mystery person who gazzumped them,’ the seller, the realtor. I just nodded sympathetically,” he states.

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The situation gets stickier because he decided to keep this purchase a secret from even his wife. “I did NOT tell my wife. Our finances are mostly separate,” he explains. “I did not want to put her in a position where she would have to lie to her parents or reveal what would be taken as a very provocative action.”

The man’s decision to secretly purchase the house was driven by multiple factors. Not only did he want to prevent his in-laws from moving too close, but he also saw an opportunity to address a local housing issue.

“I plan to rent it out as rental housing is very hard to find here, and leave management to an agency,” the man explains.

While he didn’t tell his wife, the man disclosed the secret to his brother, who quickly advised against keeping it quiet. This prompted the poster to seek advice on Reddit, where users are divided.

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Though the poster justified his actions by citing the couple's separate finances and a desire to protect his wife from conflict, many Reddit users pointed out the potential strain this could put on their relationship if she ever discovered what happened.

In a response to the many mixed comments, the man acknowledged he will eventually tell her.

“The comments have made me think that I need to find a way to disclose this to my wife,” he notes. “I’m going to give some thought to the hose and then when.”

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