Scorned Wife Lays It All Out on Real Estate Sign

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially an over-sharing scorned woman who is trying to sell her home. Honesty is often the best policy, so one woman put it all out there on her home’s “for sale” sign. There is nothing wrong with giving potential buyers the real reason that you are selling your home, but advertising that your husband left you for a college student on the same sign (and in bigger font) than the contact information or the fact that the house is for sale might be more therapeutic than sales-savvy.

Elle Zober, a newly-single woman in Beaverton, Oregon, posted a “for sale” sign outside her home that reads: “Husband left us for a 22-year-old … House for sale by scorned, slightly bitter, newly single owner,” followed by contact information, finishing with “Adulterers need not apply.” A legal disclaimer on her website claims that no one will be asked about whether they have cheated on a spouse and no one will be denied for it.

Zober recently divorced her husband of ten years, with whom she has two children, after discovering that he was cheating. Starting last March, she noticed signs like the wording of his texts had changed and he started talking like a college kid, so she checked her phone bill to discover that he had been communicating with “a 22-year-old college student who likes yoga … and other people’s husbands.” She was blindsided and is still angry and hurt, which may explain her message on the sign. However, her website, GreatFamilyHome.com, tries to show that this property is a family home where a happy life was lived. She also shares stories of her neighbors banding together to help her with yard work after the divorce and other sweet things.

What does her ex-husband think of her marketing campaign? While he is staying out of the public eye by not responding to interview requests, he is supportive of the sale. In fact, he helped purchase the sign. The common goal is to avoid foreclosure on what was once the family home. A sale by owner also saves money, something Zober also did by handling her divorce by herself, without lawyers. Their divorce was finalized within seven weeks and they avoided thousands of dollars in lawyer fees. While Zober may be bitter, she seems to be looking ahead to better days. On her website, she says of her ex-husband, “I liked him … I’m sure one day I’ll like him again.”

So is this over-share a faux pas? I’m not sure what Miss Manners would have to say about it, but it seems like a solid marketing move. Her humorous campaign has attracted attention from all over the country as many media outlets are covering the story. The house’s website is probably receiving more hits than it ever would have with a traditional real estate agent. Even if she doesn’t get full asking price for the house, Zober is still making some extra income from this. She sells magnets with the text from the sign on them for $5 on her website. Her friends have urged her to sell t-shirts and other products, but for now she is sticking to magnets. Ever the optimist, Zober points out that if she sells about 40,000 magnets, she can buy her own house.

Zober’s marketing plan seems to be working for more than just advertising: it seems to really be therapeutic. The phrase at the bottom of each page on her website says “Scorned, slightly bitter, but still grateful and very happy … life is good.”