Viral Michigan House Dubbed “World’s Cheapest Home” and Listed for $1 Sells for $52,000

A Michigan house advertised as the “World’s Cheapest Home” and listed for just $1 has been sold for $52,000.

The long-vacant two-bedroom, one-bathroom ranch, which is located in the town of Pontiac on East Ypsilanti Avenue, went on the market on Aug. 15 with a colorful description by real estate agent Chris Hubel.

“Unleash your inner DIY guru and embrace the challenge,” says the listing, which invites potential buyers to turn the house into a “masterpiece” that will make Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines “green with envy.”

Chris Hubel

In fact, the home is deemed “a ticket to the real estate adventure of a lifetime.”

“Step inside and experience the thrilling rollercoaster of emotions as you discover every nook and cranny that’s begging for your creative touch,” the listing continues. “The roof might have seen better days, but hey, it’s not leaking yet — it’s just keeping you on your toes, providing an unexpected shower of excitement when you least expect it.”

Other special features include an “avant-garde ‘floor hole’ art installation conveniently located next to the furnace” and “a garden so wild, even Mother Nature would raise an eyebrow.”

“The overgrown shrubbery and exotic weeds lend an air of mystery, inviting local critters for an impromptu garden party,” the listing explains, adding that “this home’s potential is as limitless as your imagination.”

Chris Hubel

The seller, Mary Blair, a longtime client of Hubel’s, bought the house in 2004 for around $32,00, and listed it for $10,000 in 2011 but was unable to sell it, he says.

The idea of listing the home for $1 was a unique marketing tactic Hubel tells PEOPLE he’s wanted to try for years, and Blair okayed it.

“When you underprice a home, the market’s almost always going to take it to its fair market value or its true market value,” he says. “Whereas when you overprice the home, you typically end up hurting your overall sales price.”

Chris Hubel

The viral nature of the creatively written listing propelled its reach much wider than the Metro Detroit area he serves. He’s even gotten calls from investors in Asia and the U.K.

Hubel says the witty description is “just me wrapped up in a listing.”

“I’m the off-the-wall real estate agent that does things quite a bit different than your typical agent,” he says. “So I’m covered in tattoos, have big holes in my ears, and I really believe in being my true, authentic self and not really changing who I am just because of the career I’m in.”

“So essentially,” he adds,” the listing description is just me at heart.”

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Chris Hubel

Hubel and Blair received 142 offers for the house, ultimately accepting one for $52,000. The lowest they received was for 27 cents.

Chris Hubel

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The agent tells PEOPLE the first day they received a much larger response than typical, but what really made the listing get noticed was when the social media account Zillow Gone Wild covered it.

Hubel was riding a motorcycle back from a showing when he suddenly received about 50 calls within 20 minutes.

“I had no idea what was going on,” he says. 

By the eighth day, the house had 215,000 views on Zillow and 1.3 million views on Zillow Gone Wild’s post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Chris Hubel

The buyer, Saida Garcia Hernandez, is a local client who plans to renovate the house over the next eight months and eventually re-list it.

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Source: HIS Education