ROCKLAND, Maine — These days, a lot of people are talking about the housing market. High demand and low inventory are sending prices sky high. But what if you could buy a house for just $1? In Rockland, you can. One home is currently listed on Craigslist currently for $1... but the waterfront property it sits on is not included.
Janet Heimlich moved to Maine from Austin, Texas, in November of last year. She purchased the 1887 home at 80 Crescent St. for $405,000 hoping to restore some of its original features.
"I loved Rockland the first moment I came here," Heimlich said.
But the town of Rockland's housing codes and regulations require homeowners who are restoring older homes to preserve at least 30% of the original structure. After speaking with a couple of architects, she realized the renovations she had planned would not be possible with the old home and she would need to start from scratch.
She decided to offer the home to someone else rather than demolishing it ... and the next step was listing it on Craigslist. Heimlich said $1 is not the actual asking price, but she couldn't list the item for free. She hopes someone will take the home entirely, along with its foundation.
Heimlich said the two-story, two-bedroom, one-bathroom house has good bones, a sturdy granite foundation, a metal roof, and original pine wood floors. It just needs the right person who's up for the job of moving it.
Fletcher Smith-McNaboe, owner of City and Harbor Real Estate Group, helped Heimlich purchase the home in November. She said this home could spark a lot of interest despite the challenge.
"Moving a building is not easy," she said. "Moving a building that's really old is definitely not easy, but I think that there are a lot of people out there, especially builders, who could take on a project like this and have a pretty neat house for very little money if they have the property to move it onto."
Heimlich said if she can't find anyone to take the home off the property within the next month, she'll have to demolish it, which she hopes doesn't have to happen. She said she would at least try to donate as much of the home before it was demolished.
"If someone actually can take it and make use of it as opposed to it going to a landfill, I'll feel great," Heimlich said.