This California bungalow may be a disaster zone, but it’s still going for a cool $499,999.
In Monrovia, a property, or what’s left of it, is up for sale after a giant pine tree came crashing down on it in May — leaving the one-bedroom, one-bathroom home looking like it came straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie.
The towering tree smashed through the roof, ripped apart walls, took out the tenants’ car and turned most of the 645-square-foot house into a complete wreck.
But don’t worry; nobody got hurt — neither the two renters nor their two dogs who managed to escape unscathed.
The other casualties? A fence and a whole lot of drywall.
Listing agent Kevin Wheeler of Sierra Madre Real Estate from Century 21 Village Realty told the Los Angeles Times, that some saw it as “unsalvageable,” joking that he actually thought of it as “an open-concept floor plan.”
What remains is a messy mix of missing walls, exposed wires and ceiling-less rooms.
It’s got all the charm of a construction site, but don’t count it out just yet.
The plumbing still works, though the electricity is shut off. And somehow, the back door — the same one the renters fled through when disaster struck — is still standing.
There’s a silver lining for would-be buyers.
Because the destruction was ruled an “act of God,” Wheeler said, the city’s typical red tape doesn’t apply, meaning anyone can bulldoze the place and start fresh without a lengthy review process.
That’s a big deal in Monrovia, where properties more than 50 years old usually require a tedious evaluation before any demolition can occur.
And despite the mess, there’s no shortage of interest.
“There’s been a lot of interest so far because demand is so high and inventory, especially at this price, is so low,” Wheeler said.
Several bargain hunters tried to swoop in with lowball offers of $250,000 to $300,000, hoping to score a deal on the damaged home.
But according to Wheeler, they’re out of luck: “Market comparisons for similar properties in Monrovia put the value at $500,000.”