Dilapidated $50,000 squatter's house goes viral with wild listing photos

A dilapidated Philadelphia townhouse on the market for just $50,000 has gone viral thanks to its bizarre listing photos — and an even stranger description.

At first glance, the three-bedroom, one-bathroom property might seem like a real bargain, offering ample space for a fraction of Philadelphia's $279,000 median asking price.

However, upon closer inspection, the listing reveals several very troubling catches – not least that the property includes a squatter for whom the buyer must assume full responsibility, according to the house description.

Add to that the confusing images of the property, and the ad quickly became a viral sensation – especially on Reddit, where it was shared in a thread titled “What's going on with these pictures? Did the police create this ad?”

The “pictures” in question provide a rather frightening insight into the decaying house.

The interior is in a deplorable state of disrepair: the plaster is peeling off, the lights have been removed and the two-storey living area, which is connected by a steep staircase, is littered with piles of wood. Something that looks like a toilet paper roll is balancing on the railing.

Parts of the ceiling appear to be leaking and the paint is peeling off. There are also strange objects lying around, such as a piece of rope, which prompted one commenter to ask if it was a “noose.” (Others thought it was a dog toy.)

And then, of course, there are the police officers who appear in some of the photos in the ad, sparking a lot of speculation among Reddit users about why they were in the house at the time the photos were taken.

“The crime scene is the new farmhouse,” joked one commentator.

“Active squatting ownership”

The strange and shocking photos in the listing are only surpassed by the truly unique caveat in the description, which warns: “This is an active squatter property. The property is being sold as-is, viewings cannot be arranged under any circumstances. Drive-by only. Approaching the house and squatting is at your own risk – seller accepts no liability.”

The listing states ominously: “The buyer is responsible for everything in the house. including the squatter.”

One Reddit commenter understandably asked, “So the buyer is responsible for the squatter's food? Like a pet that comes with the house?”

Another added: “In today's economic climate, this is literally a bargain.”

“Common in Philadelphia”

“The photos were taken by the owner when she was originally considering selling the house,” says the real estate agent Larry Levinwith Realty Mark Huntingdon Valley. “She went there to investigate, spotted the squatter and called the police.”

As for the mention of the squatter, dealing with such a situation in a house for sale is nothing new, says Levin.

“This is pretty common in Philadelphia,” he explains, adding that evicting a squatter without a lease and paperwork actually leads to an even more lengthy court process.

Evicting an unwanted resident can take between “four and 12 months” and cost between “$7,000 and $12,000,” Levin estimates. He says the owner did the math and concluded it would be easier to sell the house, even for a lower price than she wanted.

Built in 1915, the townhouse itself has three bedrooms, one bath, and is over 900 square feet. The building also has an unfinished basement and currently has no heating or cooling source. Investors would really take on a full renovation to bring the home back to working condition and rent it out or resell it.

Interested parties

Despite the disturbing photos and the property description detailing all the problems with the squatter, Levin says he has already received calls from interested buyers.

“They weigh up the risk against the purchase price of a renovation without having inspected the property,” he says of potential buyers. “They do the math and decide whether they think the purchase costs are worth it to offset the risk.”