Serious question, I saw a house in Tacoma with a yard full of old cars

I was driving through a neighborhood near Point Defiance last week and saw a property with at least eight junk cars on the lawn. It was a three bedroom listed as a fixer. The realtor sign said 'handyman special' but didn't mention the cars. Made me think, how do you even price that? Do you factor in the cost to haul all that metal away, or is that just a given for the buyer? Has anyone else run into a deal where the land itself was worth more than the cleanup hassle?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_craig79d ago

Eight junk cars? That's not a yard, that's a salvage lot.

fionanguyen9d ago

Oh the "handyman special" part got me. That's realtor code for "you'll need a dumpster, a hazmat suit, and a prayer." Price it? Sure, take the land value and subtract the cost of renting a heavy-duty tow truck eight times, plus therapy for your back. Honestly at that point they should just list it as "scrap metal lot, house included.

david_walker979d ago

Man, @fionanguyen, you're not wrong. My uncle bought one of those "special" places years ago. He found a family of raccoons living in the kitchen cabinets and a floor that was more duct tape than wood. He still has nightmares about the smell.