Open Up That Golden Gate!

Real estate agents should try their hands in California, where a literal wreck of a house is on sale for half a million bucks.

It's in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, and in May this big ol' pine tree came a-tumblin' down, splitting the house into two sections: the part that still looks like a house, and the part that looks like a huge pile of lumber.

It's a 645-square foot house, or it was...and it can be yours, Mr or Ms Handy, for $500,000.

That's a lot of zeros for something that looks like the giant version of when someone ran over his sister's doll house with his Big Wheel, but realtor Kevin Wheeler says he won't have any trouble selling it at the asking price.

"Here in California, we like an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. It fits right in with the culture -- open floor plan, now that the tree has gone since it crashed into the house, plenty of light, all of that stuff," he chortled.

And he points out that a complete house down the street went to 900 Gs, so buy this wreck, throw in some improvements, and become a land baron overnight!

Wheeler adds that he realizes that people not from California might think this is crazy, but with the demand for housing for people appearing on silly TV shows growing daily, he's not worried.

He also points out that prospective purchasers don't need to make an appointment to tour the remains of the house....

"I think people without my permission have walked in -- it doesn't take very much because there's no way to really protect it," he said. "I can't put a lockbox on the front door."

Imagine this happening in our town!