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We all love an underdog, don't we? Someone who won't be bullied, who will stand up for themselves and their rights in the face of all-powerful corporations and governments, they give us all hope that we little guys do have the power after all.
Often referred to as 'nail houses' or 'holdouts,' such as these have become high profile media sensations, particularly in China where the brave homeowners receive widespread support against the perceived bullying of the powers that be. Anyone who has seen the movie 'Up,' or Australian classic 'The Castle' will identify with this! These holdout cases most often happen when the government needs land for highway building or decides to do resident relocation of the whole village if the land that it sits on serves a purpose for mining or other heavy industries. Since selling property isn't something that can be forced, some people stand their ground, refusing to take the ridiculously small buy out cash.
Scroll down to see the astonishing examples below, and don't forget to vote for your favorite!
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#1
Edith Macefield Refused To Sell Her Home Even After Being Offered More Than 1 Million Dollars For It. She Later Became The Inspiration For The Movie "Up"
#2
Mary Cook Had Refused To Sell Her Narrow, Handsome Home While All The Neighboring Homes Were Demolished. Today The House Sits Tightly Squeezed Between Its Giant Neighbors, Looking Much Like An Illustration From A Children’s Story Book
Jeremie Guerra 7 years ago
And the curve of the central building makes belive that he's compressed ^^
#3
My Elderly Mother Doesn't Want To Move, She Is Now Surrounded By New Townhouses In All Directions
#4
Vera Coking First Refused To Sell Her House To Bob Guccione, Who Wanted To Build His Casino Around It. Later She Refused To Sell To Donald Trump
#5
An Owner That Refused To Sell His House In Melbourne, Australia
Aniket Trivedi 7 years ago
Its very saddening that a lot of beautiful neighborhoods are being distroyed to make enormous claustrophobic buildings.
#6
One Resident Of A Toronto Duplex Refused To Sell, So They Cut It In Half
Luke Wright 7 years ago
This is on St. Patrick Street in downtown Toronto. Its not "new" exactly, back in 1950 they split this house, the apartment complex now stands on what would have been the other half of the duplex.
#7
This Slender Gothic-Inspired Townhouse, Flanked By Massive Prewar Apartment Buildings Up And Down The Block
#8
China’s Government Paved A Highway Around These Stubborn Homeowners. The Residents Eventually Moved Out But The House Had Become A Symbol Of Resistance Against Developers
#9
Randal Acker Refused To Sell His Small Queen Anne Victorian Home In Downtown Portland, So They Built A Huge Portland State University Residence Hall Around It
#10
In Guangzhou, The Authorities Have Had To Build A Ring Road Around This Block Of Flats Because Three Families Would Not Budge
Lana Zhao 7 years ago
These are termed in China as "nail houses", as in stubbon nails. Quite often the people in nail houses are not compensated or undercompensated for the loss of their homes and have nowhere else to go. Be stubbon or lose house, so therefore lose job and starve on the streets.
#11
The House Of Austin Spriggs, Washington D.c. The Owner Was Offered $3 Million, Said No, And Later Sold It For $4 Million
#12
Although His Is The Only Standing Building In What Used To Be An Old Neighborhood Of Roubaix, In Northern France, Salah Oudjani Refuses To Sell The Coffee House He Has Worked In For The Last 46 Years
Judy Semmens 7 years ago
I think that picture is from 2011. It's still there but a road runs past and there's a sports complex opposite. I hope that brings Monsieur Oudjani plenty of trade! If you want to take a look on something like Google Maps, the address is 126 Rue de Tourcoing.
#13
Now A Church, This Queen Anne House Prevented Yet Another Apartment Building From Being Constructed
#14
A Lone Resident Holds Out Against Luxury Villas In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, In July 2013
#15
Developers Were Forced Into Building Around These Holdouts In Washington DC
#16
Living Under A Bridge
#17
The Founders Of This Hotel Couldn't Buy These Houses Due To The High Asking Price. So The Hotel Was Built Around The Two Buildings Instead, And They Are Now Souvenir Shops
#18
One Chinese Family Refused To Move Their Relatives Ancient Graves. The Small, Bizarre Column Stood 10 Meters Above The Foundation Floor For Months, Until They Finally Accepted Compensation
Emily Rose 7 years ago
sad that these new 'better' buildings are taking precedence over the ancient graves of our ancestors.
#19
Farmers Live Stuck In Between Three Highways. Hundreds Of Households Were Relocated But The Government Wasn't Able To Reach A Consensus With This Family
#20
Mrs Wu Ping Was The Only Person From 241 Properties Who Refused To Leave. She Battled With Contractors And Bids For Almost 3 Years Before Caving In April Of 2007 For Quite A Pretty Penny
#21
This Saloon Refused To Sell Their Property To An Apartment Company And Now The Apartment Has To Build Around Them
Melanie Ramos 7 years ago
No, they absolutely shouldn't sell! Especially with all those new potential customers moving in all around them!
#22
This "Nail House" Is Blocking Traffic In Shanghai
Taryn Wallace 7 years ago
Why is "Nail House" in quotes like that???? Am I️ missing something like super obvious?? To be fair I️ spilled coffee all over me this morning and stepped in dog poo so it hasn't really been my day
#23
The Spiegelhalter Family Refused To Sell Their Shop To The Expanding Wickhams Department Store
#24
The Entire Rockefeller Plaza Complex Was Moved, Due To These Two Buildings Whose Owners Refused To Sell
#25
The Tenant Of This Apartment Building In Kunming, China, Has To Cross A Moat After The Contractors Dug A Ditch To Force The Last Family Out.
#26
A Nail House Sits In The Middle Of A Road Under Construction In Nanning, China, In April 2015. The Owner Of The House Didn’t Reach An Agreement With The Local Authority About Compensation For The Demolition
#27
Residents Of The Guangfuli Area Of Shanghai Have Collectively Decided Not To Leave Their Homes, Creating An Entire "Nail Neighborhood." Tao Weiren Sits In Front Of His Two-Story House, Which Is Now Surrounded By High-End Condominium Buildings
#28
Zheng Meiju Outside Her Nail House In Rui’an, Zhejiang Province, In July 2013. She Has Been Living In The Partially Demolished Home For Nearly A Year, Even Though The Water And Electricity Supply Were Cut
#29
The Farm In The Middle Of Narita Airport. Farmers Are Refusing To Give Up Their Land In The Middle Of This Airport In Japan. The Runway Is Only Half Usable Because Of Their Refusal To Relocate. They Are Currently A Literal Stones Throw Away From The Flight Path And Must Be Living An Earth Shaking Experience.
#30
Hard-Line Developers In China Diverted A River To Encircle Householders Who Refused To Move From Their 900-Year-Old Village
#31
The 'Million Dollar Corner' That Macy's Had To Build Around, And Then Hide Behind A Billboard
DancingToMyself 7 years ago
"A Million Dollar Hotel", anyone? With Milla Jovovich, by Wim Wenders movie...
#32
The Last House In This Area Stands In Front Of A Shopping Mall In Central China's Hunan Province
#33
The Last House Of An Old Neighborhood Stands Alone In A Future Shanghai World Expo 2010 Parking Lot, Under Nanpu Bridge On April 6, 2010, In Shanghai, China. The Holdout Owner Of The House Was Shi Yuji. The House Was Destroyed Days Later, And The Owner Moved Into A Workers' Dormitory
#34
This "Nail House" House Sits On A Mound Above Ground Level Because The Developer Dug Out The Land Around It
#35
Nail Houses Whose Owners Refused To Relocate, At The Construction Field In Taiyuan, Shanxi Province Of China
Margaret Harper 7 years ago
A lot of these cities look really grubby and dirty. Like nobody is trying to upkeep them.
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What do you think ?
Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
On one hand I agree with house owners in fight against the expanding developers. On the other hand, I'd take those few millions offered and built a house in a green space instead of being closed on three sides by scyscrapers. Or being in a middle of a road. I get that some cases involved families with nowwhere to go, but others, just stubbornly refusing I can't understand. I'd rather have peace and confort instead of constant roadtraffic noise/other people staring at me from windows.
Sergio Bicerra 7 years ago
Sometime ago there was an airport to be built. Some neighbours refused to move, despite a good compensation. Three month after the airport was open they had to move, and couldn't sell their houses, cause nobody wants to live next to an airport.
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Angie Hamilton 7 years ago
I like this, but I'm wondering how they manage this when they construct around the house, so noisy and disturbing, especially when I saw those house squeezed just in between tose new big tall buildings
Hans 7 years ago
I wonder how this is legally possible. Municipalities have plans in how building may be placed, and normally there are also laws. Simply building wall-to-wall is not normally possible, and shading can be a very delicate subject,
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Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
On one hand I agree with house owners in fight against the expanding developers. On the other hand, I'd take those few millions offered and built a house in a green space instead of being closed on three sides by scyscrapers. Or being in a middle of a road. I get that some cases involved families with nowwhere to go, but others, just stubbornly refusing I can't understand. I'd rather have peace and confort instead of constant roadtraffic noise/other people staring at me from windows.
Sergio Bicerra 7 years ago
Sometime ago there was an airport to be built. Some neighbours refused to move, despite a good compensation. Three month after the airport was open they had to move, and couldn't sell their houses, cause nobody wants to live next to an airport.
Load More Replies... Angie Hamilton 7 years ago
I like this, but I'm wondering how they manage this when they construct around the house, so noisy and disturbing, especially when I saw those house squeezed just in between tose new big tall buildings
Hans 7 years ago
I wonder how this is legally possible. Municipalities have plans in how building may be placed, and normally there are also laws. Simply building wall-to-wall is not normally possible, and shading can be a very delicate subject,
Load More Replies... You May Like This Group Celebrates The Most Beautiful Dream Homes And Here Are The 30 Best 145 Interesting Houses That Caught Our Eye
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