If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! A Chicago man allegedly used a version of this turn of phrase when he discovered squatters had taken over his property and moved in alongside them.
Marco Velazquez said his South Side property was for sale when he discovered the squatters there, and they claimed they purchased it. He checked with Cook County, which confirmed there was no mortgage.
Still, Velazquez said police told him there was nothing they could do.
"The worst thing happened, when police told me they couldn't do anything. It needs to go to a civil court," Velazquez told ABC 7. ""I couldn't believe it. It was like a nightmare."
So, Velazquez took matters into his own hands by moving in with his family and some friends. He said the squatters stayed limited to the bedroom.
Unhappy with the situation, the squatters allegedly demanded $8,000 to leave. The owner negotiated with them by offering $4,300 if they signed a legal "cash-for-key agreement."
And that's how he got his own house back.
"We didn't want to give them money, but we heard really bad stories about squatters taking over properties for six, eight, 10 months, even a year," Velazquez told local media.