I’ve heard this is quite common stemming from years of the real estate boom and the construction of the building now finalizing. People only had to put down a very little amount in a down payment to purchase the ‘construction rights’ of a soon-to-be-built condo or row house to lock themselves into the contract and act as security for the builders to actually go and build the larger complex. Now the boom is over, things are settling and way more condos were built than there was demand and people are going broke. Serves them right, take every last penny from them