A Million And A Half For Bare Bones?!

My husband and I were looking for our first house. His mother said one of her friends had a home she wanted to sell so we went to take a look.

It was a waste of time.

There was plaster dust all over, and entire chunks of walls and ceiling light fixtures were removed. The bathrooms each had a tub, but the toilets and sinks were removed. The friend walked us into what was supposed to be the kitchen, but it was all torn apart. There were no cabinets or tabletops, and there was a pipe sticking out of the wall where I assume the sink should be.

Friend: “It’s going to be about $1,500,000, but it’s going to be beautiful when it’s all put together.”

Me: “Wow. How long will the renovations take?”

Friend: “Oh, that’s up to you.”

Husband: “Sorry? I don’t understand.”

Friend: *With a condescending laugh* “Well, you buy it and do the renovations yourself.”

Me: “But… there’s nothing. Not even a sink.”

Friend: “Yes, I took everything out. I bought it, so I’m taking it with me.”

Husband: “You want us to pay $1,500,000 for a gutted house?”

Friend: “Well, there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living space. You’ve seen the kitchen. There’s about half an acre for a yard.”

Me: “But… there’s literally nothing here. What about temperature control?”

Friend: “We used space heaters and window units. It’s about $200 to $500 a month depending on usage.”

Me: “No. I’m sorry to waste your time. We’re not buying this.”

Friend: “Why? It’s a great house! I’ve made many happy memories here!”

Husband: “I can’t even see this place being worth that much if you hadn’t stripped it down to nothing. We are absolutely not paying to have to do the renovations.”

Friend: “I looked up the value on [Website]! That’s what it says!”

Husband: “Okay, thank you for your time.”

We went home and looked at the website she mentioned. The house was listed at $150,000, not $1,500,000. My mother-in-law gave us a hard time for not buying the house, saying it would have been a good Christian deed. We eventually found a place that we liked… in another state.