Vance County Mobile Home Owners Upset Over Alleged Broken Promises By Realtors

Destiny for many homeowners like Donald Russell meant owning land and his own home, but he did not think his dream would be a nightmare.

"The area was nice, it's close to town and also they told us that they was going to pave the road," he said.

Homeowners in at least six mobile home developments remember hearing the same promise -- all from several mobile home realtors who quickly cut deals before a new ordinance requiring paved roads took effect in November 1998.

Homeowners in the Southland community had to pay $1,000 to have their road graveled and graded.

"It's all our fault because we should have got it in writing," Russell said. "Six months or less, it probably will be back the same way."

"We've got little children having to walk a mile or more to get to the main road to get on the bus and we just want the main roads into the subdivisions paved," said Terry Moore, of the Vance County NAACP.

Moore asked county commissioners Monday to have the six subdivisions paved for the sake of school buses and emergency vehicles. They promised to take up the matter again in December.

The Attorney General's office is looking into the matter. Donald Gupton, the owner of Creative Realty, is named in the NAACP complaint. He referred WRAL to his attorneys, who declined to comment.