A Nevada woman bought a house and ended up owning a small town all because of a copy-paste error
- A woman accidentally purchased a tiny town with 84 properties when buying her home on July 25.
- The homebuyer meant to purchase one property in Spanish Springs, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.
A woman accidentally purchased a tiny town in Nevada with 86 lots when buying her new home, the Reno Gazette Journal's Jason Hidalgo reported.
The unnamed woman from Sparks, a city east of Reno, purchased a single-family home in Toll Brothers' Stonebrook development in Spanish Springs on July 25 that was valued at $594,481, according to data from Washoe County Assessor's office cited in the Reno Gazette Journal's report.
She became the owner of 84 additional lots and two common spaces due to a copy-and-paste error in the deed to the property, Cori Burke, chief deputy assessor for Washoe County's assessor's office told Insider. It took two weeks for the issue to be resolved, he added.
Burke told the Reno Gazette Journal that a legal description from another Toll Brothers transfer was accidentally copied and pasted by the Westminster Title agency for Las Vegas.
Speaking to Insider, Burke said the legal description in the transaction was officially recorded on July 25 and included "lots 1 through 85 … and Common Areas A and B." The 84 lots include some homes that were already built and sold, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
Burke told Insider that the assessor's office contacted Westminster Title agency to notify them of the error, and on August 9 "true and rightful ownership was returned" through new documents issued by the agency.
"The assessor's office has updated the ownership on all associated parcels," Burke added.
Representatives for Toll Brothers and Westminster Title did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.